Unlike the renowned Court of Judicial Review, the Northern Army Prison appeared from the outside to be no more than an ordinary high-ranking official’s residence, except for the increased number of military guards stationed outside, the denser arrangement of rejection horse stone blocks, and most distinctively, the two three-meter-tall Bixie statues at the entrance. These were carved entirely from dark, rough bluestone, yet their fanged mouths and sharp claws were cast in gleaming bronze, formed into menacing, threatening poses.

Guarding the Northern Army Prison was a perpetually smiling, portly uncle. His appearance was unremarkable, his reputation undistinguished, but judging from the grave and respectful manner in which both the Third Prince and Ling Buyi treated him, Shaoshang guessed he must possess extraordinary qualities.

Among all categories of crimes, whether compared vertically or horizontally, treason undeniably ranked as the most extreme. Of course, depending on the specific degree of execution, treason could be further divided into: intent to rebel, illicit conspiracy (the civil approach), and armed insurrection (the military approach). As the highest level within the supreme crime category, Shaoshang had to walk all the way to the deepest part of the prison compound before she could see Peng Zhen, who had been thoroughly defeated by Nanny Cui.

Old Peng had initially wanted to express deep remorse about how he originally had no intention of rebelling but somehow became possessed, possibly bewitched by some villain’s sorcery. Unfortunately, the two young powerhouses who came to interrogate him today had absolutely no interest in his tale of woe, and directly questioned him about Wang Chun’s affairs.

Peng Zhen said through gritted teeth: “That coward Wang Chun wrote me so many letters to incite me, describing each matter in the most extravagant terms, but in the end, it was all about wanting this and that. He swindled me out of considerable silver, grain, and provisions, yet there wasn’t half a sign of any action. I’ve had eight lifetimes of terrible luck to have half-believed him! Shouchun is prosperous—what I lack least is money. Starting from the fourth letter that man surnamed Wang sent, I continuously dispatched several batches of money and grain to the Qian’an Prince’s Manor! Damn it, all fed to the dogs!”

“Besides Wang Chun’s letters, did you have any contact with people from the Qian’an Prince’s Manor?” the Third Prince asked.

Peng Zhen said: “Each time I sent people to secretly deliver money and grain, those people just took it and left without so much as a word of thanks—bastards! But since this matter couldn’t be conducted openly, I could only endure it, consoling myself that they were just being cautious in their actions. Who knew… hmph, a bunch of creatures like Pixiu, only consuming and never excreting!”

“So what Wang Chun asked you to do in his letters was simply to continuously send money and grain to the Qian’an Prince’s Manor?” Ling Buyi asked.

Peng Zhen said: “Exactly. At first I sent several batches, but later seeing how rude the people from the Qian’an Prince’s Manor were when they came to collect things, I refused to send anymore. Until… cough cough, until I became possessed and committed rebellion. Thinking it would be good to bring in another ally, I sent along the two thousand jin of refined copper that Ma Rong had delivered. But who knew—it was like throwing a clay ox into the sea, completely without news. I’ve already been defeated and captured, yet those bastards at the Qian’an Prince’s Manor haven’t made half a move!”

Shaoshang looked up at the pitch-black ceiling covered in cobwebs and murmured: “Why does this sound like a money scam? Is the Qian’an Prince’s Manor so short of funds?”

The Third Prince rebuked: “Before the army moves, provisions go first. Military campaigns are the most costly endeavors. The Qian’an Prince’s Manor gathering so much money and grain—isn’t this clearly plotting treason! To say it’s a money scam for lack of funds is to trivialize the serious matter!”

Shaoshang said in puzzlement: “Why is Your Highness so angry? This concubine knows all this. What I meant was, because the Qian’an Prince’s Manor was plotting treason, they were short of money, so they went around swindling it.”

The Third Prince’s form stiffened. He forcefully swung his broad, long sleeves and turned his head away.

Shaoshang touched her head. She’d discovered one similarity between the Third Prince and Uncle Emperor—their anger triggers were both quite peculiar.

Ling Buyi’s gaze grew contemplative, his pair of handsome, elongated eyes becoming deeply inscrutable. Then he continued questioning: “After you were escorted to the capital, did you contact Wang Chun?”

Peng Zhen trembled with fury: “This matter concerns the lives and deaths of my entire family of several dozen people—of course I contacted him! But that bastard Wang Chun absolutely refused to plead for me. He even sent someone to deceive me, saying that as long as I didn’t reveal his involvement, he would protect my family’s lives! Go to hell! I’ve been deceived by him to this point—would I still believe his lies?”

Ling Buyi said: “So you did the opposite and voluntarily came forward to report Wang Chun to His Majesty.”

Peng Zhen sneered coldly: “If I hadn’t been so muddle-headed as to plot rebellion, how would I have fallen for that old dog Wang Chun’s deception! Do you think that man surnamed Wang is any good sort? Things having reached this point, if I stubbornly kept the secret, my family would face the danger of being silenced. On the contrary, by revealing everything cleanly, my women and children might yet have a thread of hope for survival!”

Ling Buyi gave a slight nod.

The Third Prince stood with hands behind his back, smiling contemptuously: “That Lord Peng could think of this point makes him quite a clever person.”

Shaoshang smiled with eyes curved like crescents: “Only petty cleverness. True cleverness wouldn’t have led to rebellion! Such a disparity in strength, like eggs striking stone, yet he still raised troops—this truly opened this concubine’s eyes!”

The Third Prince’s chest rose and fell slightly. He brushed his sleeves and turned his head away, ignoring people.

After Ling Buyi finished questioning Peng Zhen, the three went to another cell with slightly better conditions. Peng Zhen had committed the great crime of armed rebellion and couldn’t escape death, while Wang Chun’s charges were still negotiable—the portly uncle distinguished this very clearly.

As soon as Wang Chun saw Ling Buyi, he wanted to rush forward and cry bitterly, but unfortunately, he was bound in heavy shackles, and the ends of the shackles were driven into the stone wall, so all he could do was cry bitterly. While crying, he proclaimed his innocence, repeatedly saying he absolutely had not colluded with the Qian’an Prince’s Manor, nor had he written those rebellious letters to Peng Zhen.

Though the letters weren’t written by Wang Chun, the messengers were from the Wang family, and the seals and secret codes on the letters were those Wang Chun habitually used, so Ling Buyi asked Wang Chun to explain this matter.

Who knew that when it came to the critical point, Wang Chun instead became evasive and unclear in his speech. Ling Buyi patiently asked repeatedly, but Wang Chun kept hanging onto his tears and speaking vaguely.

The Third Prince said coldly: “Those who wish to die cannot be saved. Since he’s unwilling to speak, why should we worry on his behalf? When the time comes, he’ll be convicted and beheaded, his family property confiscated and clan exterminated!” With that, he was about to sweep his sleeves and leave.

Wang Chun was frightened out of his wits, kneeling on the ground and begging for mercy repeatedly. Watching such a tall, robust man prostrate himself pleading, Shaoshang felt a slight stirring of compassion, but the Wang family’s messengers, Wang Chun’s seals, the habitually used secret codes—these couldn’t be denied…

Shaoshang counted on her fingers inside her sleeve, carefully calculating, and vaguely formed a guess. Her gaze lifted slightly, meeting Ling Buyi’s eyes—she couldn’t help but smile, understanding in her heart that Ling Buyi had the same guess. Looking at the Third Prince again, she saw a trace of cold smile at the corners of his mouth, standing leisurely, not appearing anxious.

She thought to herself that the Third Prince had probably guessed the inside story as well, but he didn’t care. Whether it was the Wang family or the Qian’an Prince’s Manor, what did it matter to him? Perhaps in his view, they were all troublesome—it would be better to clean them all up together.

Even Ling Buyi, after asking several times without results, also seemed inclined to leave. She heard him say clearly: “Since General Wang is unwilling to reveal the inside story, we cannot help. Third Prince, we might as well just…”

“Could you…” Shaoshang suddenly spoke up, “allow this concubine to say a few words to General Wang?”

The Third Prince immediately raised his eyebrows into two knife-forks, but Ling Buyi quickly spoke first: “You are someone from the Empress’s side. Ask whatever you wish.” The Third Prince’s entire body emanated cold air as he displeasedly turned his whole person around.

Shaoshang stepped forward, speaking sincerely: “General Wang, let me be honest with you. With matters having reached this point, you wanting to emerge unscathed is impossible, let alone maintaining official rank and power. Being able to preserve one life and reunite with your family would be the best possible outcome. Do you think that by stubbornly refusing to admit anything, His Majesty will say, ‘Oh, it seems it wasn’t Wang Chun who did it, so let him return to continue serving as Cavalry General, continue commanding troops and enjoying power and prestige’? General, do you think this is possible?”

Wang Chun’s greed for wealth and honor wasn’t just from one or two days. The delusional hope he harbored was to want both his life and his glory and power. Over these years, having grown accustomed to being rescued by Ling Buyi, he held onto false hope, thinking Ling Buyi would continue to intervene. Just now when he saw Ling Buyi turn to leave, his heart had already turned half cold.

“If you stubbornly refuse to reveal the truth, then this crime of conspiring in treason is inescapable. When that time comes, who in the Wang family will be able to look after them?” Shaoshang crouched down, coaxing persuasively. “Lady Xi once told me that Lady Wenxiu has her heart set only on her natal family and never cares about her siblings. Poor General Wang’s children—the youngest isn’t even three years old yet. Who will they rely on then?” Of course Wang Xi hadn’t said these things—it was Old Lady Zhai who had.

The Third Prince slowly turned his head, looking at Ling Buyi with eyes showing twelve parts disapproval—you actually tell your household woman everything and let her interfere and speak up; this is truly improper!

Shaoshang continued her performance, sighing with compassion: “Actually, official rank and power are but fleeting clouds. What’s important is life and blood relations. General Wang, think carefully…” Reasoning with someone like Wang Chun was useless; one could only tempt him with benefits.

Wang Chun’s thoughts began to become active.

That’s right—though he couldn’t continue as an official, he still had money! He still had property and prestige back in his native place! With the Empress there, after the appropriate punishments were meted out, the Emperor surely wouldn’t strip his family wealth down to the last thread. This would be better than dying and leaving everything to fall into his wife’s hands. Given his wife’s ways, she’d probably patch the Wang family fortune over to the Qian’an Prince’s Manor the moment he died.

So he confessed everything. His testimony was exhaustively detailed, proactive and voluntary, and he even enthusiastically helped provide investigative directions.

The Third Prince gave several cold snorts of indifference. Ling Buyi hurried back to the palace to request the Emperor’s instructions. After obtaining the clear imperial decree, he immediately surrounded the Cavalry General’s residence with troops, encircling it inside and out so tightly not even water could leak through. After that, those who needed to be arrested were arrested, those who needed to be interrogated were interrogated. In less than half a day’s effort, both human and material evidence were secured.

After the case became clear, the Empress could finally act.

She brought Wang Xi and several young children from the Wang family out of the residence, placing them under care in her separate estate. When Shaoshang was ordered to deliver things, Wang Xi clutched her hand anxiously, tears streaming down: “…How could it be my mother? Wasn’t there another mistake!”

Shaoshang pried her fingers open and said leisurely: “Why don’t you make another poison oath, just like the old way from two days ago?”

Wang Xi sat down in stunned silence, not speaking.

“See? Even you, the daughter, don’t dare make a definitive statement. Lady Wenxiu stole her husband’s seals, then directed her own servants to impersonate General Wang’s name to collude with Peng Zhen, all to build bridges and pave roads for her younger brother, gathering money and grain. And then what? What did she want to do—have the young Prince of Qian’an raise troops in rebellion? Recreate past glories?” Speaking of which, in this era, Shaoshang hadn’t seen such a pure, naturally single-minded brother-supporting demon as Lady Wenxiu in quite some time.

“During these days when Father and my brothers were imprisoned, Mother just watched…?” Wang Xi’s face was pale as ash, her gaze empty. It wasn’t clear to whom this question was directed.

Shaoshang looked at her with pity. For a brother-supporting demon, only natal family brothers were true flesh and blood, the light, the electricity, the only legend. Those married to and those born from—all were outsiders.

Wang Xi silently shed tears, focusing her gaze on Shaoshang: “What does His Majesty plan… plan to do with my mother…”

What disposition? What disposition could there be? Lady Wenxiu and the Emperor were of the same clan, and she was born a princess. Dragging her to the Meridian Gate for a clean execution was impossible—it would probably be either white silk or poisoned wine.

For some reason, Shaoshang suddenly felt her throat go dry, her heart vaguely shrouded in a layer of gloom.

She felt very uncomfortable, yet couldn’t articulate why.