Chapter 34 (Revised)
All officials who committed crimes during the Yong Dynasty were detained in Dali Prison awaiting trial and sentencing. Dali Prison divided prisoners into different areas according to gender and social status.
Because Wei Zhen and the Duke of Ye were of high status, their cells were relatively clean. Although they were not free within the prison, they were not subject to any harassment from the jailers, and as long as their requests were not excessive, they could generally be met.
The wife of the Duke of Ye was imprisoned elsewhere. The three adjacent cells here held the former crown prince Wei Zhen, the Duke of Ye, and the youngest son Wei Xuan respectively.
At this time, Wei Xuan no longer had the arrogance he had in the past. He leaned against the wall with empty eyes.
Since being suddenly imprisoned, Wei Xuan, who had been crying "injustice," realized that no matter how much he screamed, the jailers wouldn't even give him a cold look. No matter how loudly he cried out, no matter how much he begged the jailers to let him out, the jailers would only treat him with indifference.
Wei Xuan had originally believed that as long as his elder brother remained the crown prince, he would be able to escape from this situation. However, three days ago, when he witnessed his elder brother, dressed simply in plain clothes, being escorted in by the jailer, he experienced the meaning of despair for the first time in his life.
Even his eldest brother has been sent to prison. This time, he is likely to be in great danger.
Wei Xuan turned to his father in the cell next to him, and resentment crept onto his thin face.
It was all that foolish father's fault! He was the one who wanted to murder the Empress, and in the end, he wanted to drag the whole family to be buried with her!
He doesn't want to die yet!
The fear of death suddenly surged into Wei Xuan's heart. He was panicked and in pain, and tears flowed uncontrollably.
Hearing his youngest son sobbing softly, the Duke of Ye let out a long sigh.
Immersed in a life of wealth and luxury for many years, the Duke of Ye, who looked several years younger than his actual age, aged rapidly in just a few days. His temples were as white as frost, his hair was covered with wrinkles, and his eyes were cloudy.
He sat dejectedly in the cell, looking dejected.
Three days ago, the Duke of Ye could still comfort Wei Xuan and tell him not to worry, as as long as his eldest son Wei Zhen was still the crown prince, it would only be a matter of time before they left here.
Like Wei Xuan, the moment he saw Wei Zhen being escorted in by the jailer, the Duke of Ye's last bit of confidence collapsed in an instant, and his hope of getting out alive disappeared in a moment.
Only when he was in a desperate situation did the Duke of Ye feel regret.
Wei Zhen was right next door to him, but he had never turned his head in that direction since Wei Zhen was imprisoned.
He didn't know how he could face Wei Zhen.
He shouldn't have easily believed Pan Liang's evil scheme and done such a foolish thing, which even led to the most promising and promising son in the family falling into such a tragic situation.
In the end, they were defeated, and it was his own hands that defeated them. How could he not regret it!
Thinking of this, the Duke of Ye let out another long sigh.
There were only three of them imprisoned in this prison at the moment, and any slight movement would be extremely noticeable in the dead silence.
Wei Zhen heard every word of Wei Xuan's sobs and the Duke of Ye's sighs. But he had nothing to say, and besides, anything he said would be useless at this point. Whether he resented or forgave, there was no point in saying more in the face of established facts.
Wei Zhen lay quietly on the thin and simple bed with his eyes closed.
Now, just wait quietly for the next move.
*
In prison, without sunlight, one cannot perceive the passage of time. People in prison gradually lose their sense of time. Wei Zhen was no exception.
He could fall asleep as soon as he closed his eyes, and wait for the jailer to bring him food when he woke up. He didn't have to worry about anything, and Wei Zhen felt even more relaxed than when he was outside.
When Wei Zhen fell into a deep sleep again, he suddenly felt someone pushing him over and over again, and the voice calling his name sounded familiar.
Wei Zhen, whose consciousness gradually regained, immediately realized that the familiar voice was Chu Miaomiao!
Wei Zhen suddenly opened his eyes and sat up. This sudden action frightened Chu Miaomiao so much that she took two or three steps back.
"Ouch, you scared me."
Wei Zhen's eyes sparkled as he looked at Chu Miaomiao eagerly, his face filled with uncontrollable surprise: "Miaomiao, why are you here?"
"Uh," Chu Miaomiao paused and said, "I haven't seen the Dali Prison yet. I came to take a look around."
Wei Yan, who was standing behind Chu Miaomiao, looked at her back speechlessly.
Who was the man who had been lingering at her house for two days, insisting on visiting Wei Zhen? Was he the same person who casually said he was here to visit the Dali Prison?
Wei Zhen didn't say anything, just smiled with his eyes curved. After spending so much time together, how could Wei Zhen not know that Chu Miaomiao was speaking in a sarcastic way again? The last time she climbed over the wall to the East Palace at night, she used the excuse of watching a joke.
"Yu Kang is here too." Wei Zhen looked at Wei Yan, "Is everything going well in Weizhou?"
Wei Yan, who was already sitting at the table, nodded.
"Ahem." Chu Miaomiao deliberately cleared her throat twice and looked at Wei Zhen with some dissatisfaction. "Now is not the time to worry about others. Think about yourself!"
As Chu Miaomiao spoke, she handed over a bag on her back.
Wei Zhen took the bundle and opened it, then heard Chu Miaomiao's voice beside him.
"This is a dungeon after all, and it's very humid. I—" Chu Miaomiao paused, as if she felt that this was not appropriate. "My eldest brother said to bring two sets of thicker clothes. Since you two are about the same size, you can just make do with what you wear."
Wei Zhen looked at the two sets of thick clothes, his lips curled up, not even lowering their corners. Chu Miaomiao must have known that he liked simple clothes, so she found two sets of moon-white clothes embroidered with silver lotus patterns.
At this time, several scrolls rolled out from the spread-out bundle. Wei Zhen picked them up and opened them. They turned out to be some popular legends among the people.
"I'm afraid you'll be thinking too much. Reading these will help you relax."
Chu Miaomiao glanced at Wei Zhen: "These are all my favorite legendary stories. You have to return them to me after a while."
Wei Zhen smiled, but didn't nod or answer. Chu Miaomiao frowned, feeling a little down, and didn't say anything more.
The question just now was actually more like a promise. A promise that Wei Zhen would leave here soon, a promise that he would escape from this crisis.
But Wei Zhen did not respond, which made Chu Miaomiao even more uneasy.
In addition to clothes and storybooks, Chu Miaomiao also brought snacks. As if he was afraid that the jailers would abuse him, he prepared several large bags.
"Those are Taihelou's snacks. I asked the shopkeeper to pack some fruit snacks that can be kept for a long time." Chu Miaomiao seemed to have thought of something and instructed, "But you have to eat them quickly. I'm afraid if they are left out too long, they will get eaten by rats. If you've finished eating, find a way to bring a message back."
Chu Miaomiao pointed at Wei Lu, who was sitting nearby. Wei Lu, who was gazing at the Duke of Ye in the adjacent cell, came back to his senses and stared at the finger pointing at him in confusion. What? Am I the messenger?
"I'll prepare some more and bring it in for you." Chu Miaomiao muttered.
Wei Yan raised an eyebrow: "Is this Dali prison a place where you can just go in whenever you want?"
"Well, you can just pass something in."
Wei Yan shook his head and then asked Wei Zhen, "Is this the end?"
Although the question was directed at Wei Zhen, Wei Xun's eyes were always on the Duke of Ye who was leaning against the wall dejectedly.
"You've endured ten years of treading on thin ice in this palace, and you were deposed after only one year as Crown Prince." Wei Yan's calm gaze finally rested on Wei Zhen. "You don't look sad at all."
Wei Zhen smiled bitterly. "Is there any use in being sad? Now that things have come to this, it's meaningless for me to be sad or not. But this time, I'm afraid my time really isn't long. Instead of dwelling on such meaningless things, I might as well live my last days well."
As he spoke, Wei Zhen raised his eyes to look at Chu Miaomiao, his eyes filled with tenderness, and his tone became even softer: "Thank you for coming to see me."
Chu Miaomiao was actually a little angry.
When she sneaked into the Eastern Palace on the Queen's birthday, Wei Zhen acted so confident, as if the incident wouldn't have much of an impact on him. That confident look is so impressive that even now, when I think back on it, I have to praise him as "excellent acting."
Chu Miaomiao felt deeply deceived.
"Didn't you say last time that this matter would be over soon?" Chu Miaomiao stared directly at Wei Zhen, her calm tone concealing a hint of anger. "And this is how it ends? An end where you're going to have to sacrifice your life?"
Wei Zhen looked at Chu Miaomiao with interest—oh, she looked angry.
"The world is unpredictable," Wei Zhen explained with a wry smile. "I'm not someone who can plan everything out. Perhaps I overestimated my importance in the saint's heart."
"Can I..."
Chu Miaomiao's voice trembled slightly, and there was a hint of surprise in Wei Zhen's eyes.
"Can you save your life this time?"
In the light of the fire in the prison, there seemed to be a glimmer of light in Chu Miaomiao's eyes. She looked at Wei Zhen with hope, hoping to hear the answer she wanted from Wei Zhen's mouth.
That look made Wei Zhen's heart tighten, and he almost lost control, and his thoughts almost blurted out. Fortunately, at the moment he was about to say it, he regained his composure. After a long silence, he slowly said three words: "Maybe."
Wei Zhen originally thought that this answer would make Chu Miaomiao sad, but unexpectedly her eyes lit up: "So, there is still hope of survival, right?"
"ah?"
"What can we do? Don't try to figure this out alone this time. If you need us, just let us know."
Wei Xi beside him also nodded.
This development was beyond Wei Zhen's expectations. He thought Chu Miaomiao would be sad, but he didn't expect her to see the answer from another perspective.
"I mean maybe..."
"Yes, 'maybe' represents possibility. Perhaps the saint will spare your life because of the father-son relationship we've shared over the past ten years?" Chu Miaomiao said excitedly, "As long as there's a glimmer of hope, we can't give up easily!"
Chu Miaomiao's eyes, which had been glistening with tears just now, suddenly lit up, a flame of hope dancing in them. She excitedly grabbed Wei Zhen's sleeve and looked at him with hope, waiting for him to give her an order that she could immediately execute.
Wei Zhen, who originally had little chance of success in his plan, seemed to be encouraged by Chu Miaomiao, and the confidence that had hidden him just now returned to him.
Wei Zhen touched Chu Miaomiao's forehead and said with a smile: "With your words, I think things may not be so bad."
Wei Zhen consoled Chu Miaomiao with a few more words, and Wei Zhen also said he planned to ask his father to plead for Wei Zhen again. He could no longer keep his position as crown prince, but at least he had to save his life.
"As for the Duke of Ye..."
While Wei Zhen was speaking, he glanced at the Duke of Ye County again, and he turned his head to look over here. When he heard words like "plead" and "save your life", his cloudy eyes suddenly became bright, and he looked at Wei Zhen as if he was a savior.
Wei Zhen sneered, "You dared to murder the Queen Mother. It is a saint's mercy to spare her body."
As soon as he finished speaking, Wei Xun saw the light in the Duke of Ye's eyes quickly go out, and he returned to his disheartened look.
Visiting time was limited, and after a few words, the jailer came to urge them to leave, and Wei Zhen and Chu Miaomiao left. As they walked past the Ye County Public Prison, Chu Miaomiao suddenly stopped. Wei Zhen, standing at the cell door, watched the two leave with a puzzled look on his face.
Chu Miaomiao turned sideways and looked at the Duke of Ye with a serious expression: "Do you really regard Wei Zhen as your own son?"
This abrupt question not only confused the Duke of Ye, but also left Wei Zhen stunned. Wei Zhen just watched quietly from behind Chu Miaomiao.
"When you were wielding the title of Crown Prince and acting tyrannically in Ye County, when you were planning to murder the Queen, did you ever consider Wei Zhen?
"Are you truly thinking about him, or are you just trying to maintain your own prosperity?"
When Chu Miaomiao learned that Wei Zhen was implicated in the Duke of Ye's poisoning of the Queen and was under house arrest, she felt a sense of sympathy for him. Perhaps they were in the same situation in terms of their parents' fate.
Wei Zhen's parents could not understand the hardships of his life in the palace, and only relied on his reputation to satisfy their own selfish desires. Chu Miaomiao grew up without the love of her father or mother, and longed for parental affection but could not get it. She asked this question not only to the Duke of Ye, but also to herself -
When my father was plotting a rebellion, did he ever think about my elder brother and her who were left as hostages in the capital?
Chu Miaomiao wanted to hear the answer from the Duke of Ye, and also wanted to know the answer from her father.
"I……"
The Duke of Yejun uttered only one syllable before he couldn't help but burst into tears. He looked at Wei Zhen, his face full of guilt.
Wei Zhen glanced at his father, then quickly looked away, remaining silent.
"If I had thought of him for a moment, perhaps the situation today wouldn't be here." Chu Miaomiao lowered her eyes, not knowing whether she was sad for Wei Zhen or for herself.
Wei Yan said, "Let's go."
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