Chapter 50 Unexpected

Song Luoning's breath hitched. Her gaze fell on the woman's fair and slender fingers. The slight heat from her body burned through her fingertips onto her skin and spread throughout her body, making it unbearable. Song Luoning's body went limp, and she barely managed to maintain her composure by leaning against the soft couch.

Seeing that she hadn't returned, Xiao Yu mustered her courage and moved closer, their bodies pressed together through several layers of fabric: "He often contacts you, doesn't he?"

The warm breath brushed against her neck, instantly flushing her fair skin a pale pink. Song Luoning lowered her eyes, raised her hand to push her away, her voice trembling slightly: "No..."

"Nothing?" Xiao Yu pressed her advantage, moving even closer, her lips brushing against her ear, her voice seductive, the warm breath on her skin causing a shiver. Song Luo Ning's hands weakly pressed against her chest, slowly tightening.

That lecherous scoundrel!

Song Luoning closed her eyes, her voice weak and feeble: "How can a young lady of the house meet with a man in private..."

"So you didn't see him?" Xiao Yu continued to ask.

Song Luoning couldn't take it anymore and gave a soft "hmm".

Xiao Yu was finally satisfied. He slightly raised his chin, and, with a sudden burst of courage, parted his lips and took her delicate earlobe into his mouth. A faint fragrance lingered between his lips and teeth, soft and sweet.

The warm, moist touch sent a rush of sensation from her ear to her heart. Song Luoning stiffened, snapped back to her senses, and shoved her forcefully, saying with a mix of embarrassment and annoyance, "Sit properly!"

Before Xiao Yu could react, she was pushed away. Stunned, she didn't dare to make any further moves and just stared at her blankly.

Song Luoning was burning up. She took a breath, picked up the book that had fallen to the side, and tried to read it with a calm expression, but she couldn't concentrate on a single word.

“My wife, I…” Xiao Yu hesitated for a moment.

"Miss, lunch is ready. Shall we serve it now?" Cui Zhu's voice rang out from outside, interrupting Xiao Yu.

Xiao Yu frowned, glanced at Song Luoning, and seeing that her face was still flushed, she didn't dare to say anything and obediently shut her mouth.

quite a while.

"Bring it in," Song Luoning instructed.

The door opened, and six maids followed behind Cuizhu, who placed the food on the table one by one and stepped aside to wait for their masters to sit down. Cuizhu stood behind Song Luoning to serve the dishes.

"Has your mother-in-law sent the meal yet?" Song Luoning regained her usual composure and asked in a low voice.

Cuizhu: "The meals were all served together, so Madam Xiao should have eaten them by now."

Song Luoning nodded and didn't say anything more.

She remained silent, and Xiao Yu dared not be presumptuous; the two ate in quiet.

After lunch, the maids cleared the table and soon brought hot water. Xiao Yu stood aside and waited for the maids to leave before saying quite consciously, "Madam, I will serve you a bath."

Song Luoning's breath hitched. She closed her eyes, and the fever that had just subsided flared up again. She curled her fingers and said, embarrassed and angry, "No need."

"......"

Xiao Yu touched his nose, thinking that Song Luo Ning had said that evening was fine, so he didn't dare to anger her and stood quietly to the side waiting.

"If you have something to do, you can go ahead and do it. There are plenty of bamboo trees here."

"Hmm? Oh, okay."

The little maid covered her mouth and chuckled to herself.

Xiao Yu glanced at Cui Zhu and reluctantly left the room.

She had just stepped out of the courtyard when she bumped into Liang Chengqiu: "Officer Liang, what's going on here...?"

Liang Chengqiu said expressionlessly, "The Dali Temple just sent word that they want us to go over there to find out more about the case."

Need to understand the case?

Xiao Yu paused for a moment. Since her father-in-law and brother-in-law had already spoken to her, she wasn't worried. She nodded to Liang Chengqiu and said, "Alright, then Officer Liang, wait for me for a moment. I'll go tell my wife and then I'll come with you."

After saying that, she turned around and hurriedly went back into the house. When Cuizhu saw her return, she was stunned for a moment and then curtsied.

"My lady, the Dali Temple has asked me to look into the case, but don't worry, Constable Liang will come with me," Xiao Yu said.

Behind the screen, Song Luoning curled her fingers and softly hummed in agreement: "Yes, husband, go ahead."

"Okay, sure." Xiao Yu turned around and glanced at the round fan on the low table out of the corner of her eye.

This treasure is still waiting to appreciate in value, how can it be left lying around? She picked it up and put it in the cabinet before turning around and leaving the house. She went to Dali Temple with Liang Chengqiu. There was a stone lion on each side of the entrance to Dali Temple, and the three characters "Dali Temple" on the plaque under the eaves were vigorous and powerful.

As soon as Xiao Yu stepped into the Dali Temple, he was taken away by two yamen runners and led into a cell. The cell was dark and damp, with a foul, rotten smell in the air, and torches were placed on the walls on both sides.

The two constables led the man in the official robes to whisper a few words to him, then stepped aside to wait.

This man was none other than Wu Yuanhou, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, who was known for his ruthlessness. Prisoners who passed through his hands would either die or be severely injured.

Wu Yuanhou turned around and glanced at Xiao Yu. He then repeatedly poked at the charcoal fire with the branding iron in his hand. Only then did Xiao Yu see clearly that there was a man tied to the torture instrument in front of the charcoal fire. The man was on the verge of death, his hair was disheveled, and his face was not visible.

Wu Yuanhou's sinister expression appeared ferocious in the firelight as he said, "Confess honestly, and you'll suffer less. Otherwise, these instruments of torture are no joke. Once you've been subjected to all of them, whether you'll live or die is another matter. I advise you to be clear: it doesn't matter if you die, but what will happen to your family?"

Upon hearing this, the man, who had been motionless, suddenly flew into a rage, making muffled, indistinct noises.

Xiao Yu subconsciously took half a step back, and for a moment suspected that the person's voice had been poisoned by the people in front of him. Torture and coercion, was this the way the Dali Temple tried cases? Judging from this situation, even if the person was innocent, he would be forced to confess. Was this how the so-called ancient Supreme Court, the Dali Temple, tried cases?

Xiao Yu's heart sank further and further. He never expected that this place would be even more disregardful of human life than that corrupt official in Linyang County.

If things are really as I think, then I will probably never be able to clear my name of the murder case. Even if they don't use torture on me out of respect for my father-in-law, what will happen in the future?

Convicted? Or bribed with money?

Wu Yuanhou laughed loudly, casually tossed the branding iron in his hand into the charcoal brazier, sparks flying everywhere. He then gave the constables a wink, and the man was untied and taken away.

Wu Yuanhou took out a handkerchief from his sleeve, wiped his hands, and casually tossed it onto the table. He glanced at Xiao Yu and said disdainfully, "You're Xiao Yu?"

Despite having the title of a royal descendant, he was ultimately just an ordinary citizen.

Xiao Yu: "Exactly."

Wu Yuanhou: "You've seen it yourself. Are you going to confess honestly on your own, or should we do it for you?"

Honest confession is admitting guilt. Their help is probably like that person's, right? Are we really going to confess here?

"Tell me about the murder you committed."

"I didn't kill him."

"Oh?" Wu Yuanhou waved to the constables behind him, and two constables stepped forward to hold Xiao Yu's arm, making her unable to move.

“Lord Wu, are you going to use Xing?” Liang Chengqiu stretched out his long sword and blocked Xiao Yu’s way: “Xiao Yu is a member of the royal family. How can we use Xing without asking the reasons?”

Wu Yuanhou's face darkened, and he roared, "How dare you, a mere constable, question how I, an official, handle cases? Does she deserve to be spared punishment just because she is a member of the royal family?"

“The case is not yet concluded. Shouldn’t you, sir, first collect evidence and conduct an investigation?” Liang Chengqiu refused to back down.

Wu Yuanhou sneered: "If I remember correctly, this case was handled personally by you, Officer Liang. Does Officer Liang have any doubts about the case he handled?"

"you……"

"Officer Liang, this concerns the royal family. I advise you to think carefully before you act."

Liang Chengqiu hesitated for a moment, his aura turning colder: "Lord Wu, although I handled the case, according to Baisheng Law, if a case involves the royal family, it should be transferred to the Dali Temple for investigation. The Dali Temple must conduct a new investigation and gather evidence. Your current approach is probably not reasonable."

"Hmph~, how dare a mere constable question my handling of a case? How many cases in the Dali Temple have passed through my hands? Who dares to utter a single word of doubt? Constable Liang is truly young and arrogant." Wu Yuanhou questioned loudly, displaying an attitude of overwhelming you with his imposing manner if you disagree with him.

"Maybe they were all tortured into confessing. You beat that man almost to death, but he still wouldn't confess. And what did you do? You used his family to coerce him into confessing. Who knows if that's how you got those cases?" Xiao Yu couldn't take it anymore and struggled. After all, she was a member of the royal family, so the two constables didn't dare to hit her too hard, and she managed to break free.

Seeing this, Wu Yuanhou roared, "How dare you! Do you know where you are? With just one word from me, you'll never rise again. So what if you're a member of the royal family? In the end, you're still just a commoner."

No sooner had the words been spoken than a majestic voice rang out: "You are the one who dares to be so bold." Then a middle-aged man dressed in a peacock-patterned robe walked in, followed by an official whose robe was the same as Wu Yuanhou's.

Xiao Yu guessed that the man in front of him should be Wu Yuanhou's superior, namely the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, while the man wearing the same official robes as Wu Yuanhou was another Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.

The man's face was gloomy. He glanced at Wu Yuanhou, a hint of disappointment in his eyes, before finally fixing his gaze on Xiao Yu: "You are Xiao Yu?"

Xiao Yu paused for a moment, then nodded and replied, "Yes."

“Not bad, very courageous. As for your case, rest assured, I have already sent people to Linyang County to investigate. We will have news soon. If you did not kill the person, we will definitely clear your name,” said the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.

Finally, someone reliable has arrived. After two frights, Xiao Yu doesn't dare to trust anyone until the case is closed.

The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review waved his hand, and the official behind him immediately laid out pen, ink, paper and inkstone on the table: "Tell me the whole story in detail."

Xiao Yu paused for a moment and then recounted the whole story. The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review nodded and said, "According to what you said, the evidence is indeed insufficient. The magistrate of Linyang County is truly a fool."

"My lord, how can you make such a hasty conclusion based on just her one-sided account?" Wu Yuanhou retorted, glaring angrily at Xiao Yu.

The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review raised his eyes, deliberately drawing out his words: "Oh? You're questioning me? Then tell me, what's your evidence?"

"This..." Wu Yuanhou choked, unable to produce any evidence in the face of his superior's questioning, so he gritted his teeth and shut his mouth.

The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review glanced at him indifferently and ignored him. He smiled at Xiao Yu and said, "There is not enough evidence at the moment, so you should go back first. However, you cannot leave the capital without permission until it is completely proven that this case is not related to you. We may need your cooperation in the future."

Xiao Yu nodded; she understood this point—it was about cooperating with the government in handling the case.

Even if he didn't say it, he wouldn't leave the capital for the time being. The young lady had just reunited with her family, how could she bear to separate her from them again so soon?

Furthermore, she can no longer make a living by husking rice; she needs to find another way to make a living. In a prosperous place like the capital, there are more opportunities than in Linyang County. Perhaps she can find another chance.

The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review ordered Xiao Yu and Liang Chengqiu to be escorted out of the Court of Judicial Review.

Xiao Yu looked up; the sunlight was blinding, so she closed her eyes.

Steward Zhang, accompanied by two guards from the manor, waited outside. Upon seeing the man emerge, he rushed forward and said urgently, "They have given the young master a hard time. The master was very worried when he found out and sent me to fetch you back."

Xiao Yu shook his head. The moment he saw Steward Zhang, he realized that the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review was probably invited by his father-in-law.

Steward Zhang bowed and led her into the carriage. Xiao Yu sat down, and Liang Chengqiu followed behind her into the carriage. The two sat down facing each other: "Thank you for what you did earlier."

Liang Chengqiu looked up at her.

Xiao Yu continued, "I didn't expect you to stand up for me. After all, you are also a government official, and Wu Yuanhou's official position is much higher than yours. There's no benefit in offending him to help me."