Chapter 47 Interrogation (Part 7)

Morning light shone through the partially drawn bed curtains, illuminating the mess in the room: clothes scattered on the floor, a wine jar tilted to one side, and the lingering ambiguous atmosphere in the air.

Ling Wei sat by the window in the light.

She was only wearing a plain white undergarment, the neckline of which was slightly loose, revealing a section of her fair neck and collarbone, where he had left marks from his impulsive actions. The morning light clearly illuminated those pale red marks, and Shen Zhilan's ears burned. He looked away, but couldn't help but look back again.

She had long, black hair that was loose and flowing down her back. In her hand, she held an ordinary wooden comb and casually combed a strand of her hair downwards.

His eyes were gazing out the window, his profile appearing serene and somewhat lost in thought in the morning light.

Shen Zhilan threw off the covers, grabbed a robe and put it on, then walked towards her.

Ling Wei paused in her combing of her hair.

She turned to look at him, the morning light illuminating half of her face, her skin so white it was almost translucent, with faint dark circles under her eyes, revealing a hint of weariness.

But her eyes were bright and clear. When she saw him, the corners of her mouth naturally curved upwards. Her smile was faint, but it put Shen Zhilan's heart at ease.

"Awake?" she asked, her voice still low and hoarse from just waking up.

Shen Zhilan nodded and walked to her side.

Ling Wei held the wooden comb in her hand up to her eyes and examined it against the light. A few strands of her broken hair were still tangled between the comb teeth, so thin that they were almost invisible in the light.

She suddenly laughed again, "Look, when your hair is messy, you have to comb it out. Otherwise, it will form clumps, which will make you uncomfortable and an eyesore to others."

As she spoke, her gaze shifted from the wooden comb to Shen Zhilan's face: "Now that we've taken this comb, we can't just throw it away halfway through combing it."

Shen Zhilan stared at her intently.

He understood.

She knew the road ahead would be difficult, that she might suffer setbacks, but she chose to continue.

A surge of warmth welled up in Shen Zhilan's heart, a mixture of heartache, pride, and a knowing "I knew it" feeling.

Your Highness, your vulnerability and confusion last night were real, but your clarity and determination today are truly your nature.

He didn't say anything, but took another half step forward, reached out, and gently wrapped his arms around her from behind.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, his palm resting on the slightly cool fabric of her undergarment, feeling the warmth of her body beneath.

He didn't use much force; he simply held her loosely, resting his chin on the top of her head.

Ling Wei naturally relaxed her shoulders, leaning most of her weight into his arms, her head resting near the crook of his neck.

The two leaned against each other quietly, gazing out the window together.

......

Zhao Ying was determined not to get involved in this mess. Upon hearing that they were to continue digging deeper into the whereabouts of the minerals that might be related to the palace, she immediately felt a "headache" and was unable to accompany the interrogation.

When Qing Shu came to report this matter, Ling Wei understood immediately. He was a typical seasoned official, always shifting between sides and unwilling to risk his life.

He neither offended the princess nor left his name on that crucial confession.

Ling Wei didn't immediately react, but instead asked, "Have you found that female worker who pretended to be stupid at the mine?"

Qing Shu shook his head, his brows furrowed: "Your Highness, the strange thing is that after what happened last night, I immediately sent people to the mine to look for her, but after asking all the foremen and miners we knew, they all said that no one had seen her since Your Highness left. It's as if... she disappeared into thin air."

Vanished into thin air? Ling Wei's eyes darkened.

A marginal figure who was feigning madness but clearly knew a lot of inside information disappeared at a crucial moment. Was he silenced or did he go into hiding?

“Keep searching, and make a little more noise,” Ling Wei said thoughtfully. “Also, let out some news that Sun Man and Du Wen have been arrested and are being interrogated.”

Stirring up trouble can sometimes make the mice hiding in their holes move on their own.

"Yes." Qing Shu accepted the order.

After dealing with this matter, Ling Wei turned her gaze to the direction where Zhao Ying was "sick," and sneered: "Since Commander Zhao is so ill, I should naturally go and visit him. Qing Shu, call Bai Ji, let's go and 'take a pulse' for Commander Zhao."

Zhao Ying's illness came on quickly, and she recovered just as quickly after Ling Wei personally led Bai Ji, the royal physician, to her temporary residence.

Seeing Bai Ji's earnest pulse diagnosis and then meeting Ling Wei's all-seeing eyes, Zhao Ying broke out in a cold sweat more profusely than if she were truly ill.

"Your Highness..." Zhao Ying struggled to get up, but Ling Wei gently pressed her back onto the bed.

Ling Wei reached out and gently pressed her back onto the couch: "Lie down. The climate in Xishan is bad, and Commander Zhao works hard guarding the border. It's just that this illness came at an inopportune time, and the case still needs to be tried."

Zhao Ying's face paled. Knowing there was no way to avoid it, she could only brace herself and say in a dry voice, "Your Highness, it's not that I'm trying to shirk my duty, it's just that... You heard what Sun Man said. I'm just a local garrison commander, my words carry little weight. If I get involved, I'm afraid I won't even know how I died. Your Highness, you are of noble status and naturally have nothing to fear, but I... I have a family to support and thousands of women under my command. I beg Your Highness's understanding!"

She said she was really going to get ready to settle down and put on her luggage, but Ling Wei stopped her again.

Ling Wei neither reprimanded her for her cowardice nor forced her. After Zhao Ying finished speaking, she slowly said, "Commander Zhao, do you think you'll be safe if you hide now?"

Zhao Ying was taken aback, not understanding.

“You heard what Sun Man said, and I heard it too. In the eyes of those behind the scenes, you and I are already in the know.” Ling Wei leaned forward slightly, her gaze sharp. “Now you’re feigning illness to avoid me. To me, you’re ‘unreliable’; to Sun Man and the people behind her, you’re ‘a hidden danger who heard the secret but is trying to stay out of it.’ Staying on the side of neither is the most dangerous thing.”

Seeing Zhao Ying's increasingly pale face, she continued, "Do you think it's safer to stay by my side as an imperial envoy investigating the case, and to investigate legitimately; or is it safer to stay alone in the military camp, waiting for possible cover-ups from either side?"

Zhao Ying smiled bitterly: "Your Highness, it's not that I'm afraid of the people behind Sun Man, it's that I'm afraid... that this will implicate the palace, I'm afraid of what's happening above..."

She didn't dare finish her sentence, but her meaning was clear.

Sun Man dared to say that, she must have something to rely on. If the investigation really goes on, what if it involves His Majesty's private treasury and reveals the Emperor's secrets? What hope would she have left in this life?

Ling Wei understood her unfinished words and remained silent for a moment.

She did not rebuke Zhao Ying for her "disrespect or cowardice," but instead nodded as if she understood.

“I understand your concerns.” Ling Wei straightened up and paced slowly around the bed, seemingly deep in thought.

Then she stopped and looked at Zhao Ying, "So, how about we compromise?"

Zhao Ying raised her eyes, a faint hope igniting within her.

"When interrogations involve sensitive areas of the palace, all testimonies will only bear my name and seal; not a single word about you, Zhao Ying," Ling Wei promised.

Zhao Ying felt relieved at first, but then doubt arose in her heart: If they weren't going to write my name, why did they have to be there at the interrogation?