Chapter 32 You're worried about me
late at night.
The long street was deserted, and the surroundings were extremely quiet.
The lanterns in front of the Criminal Investigation Department were blown by the wind, their light and shadows swaying and falling on the stone lions on both sides, making them look majestic and solemn.
The sound of wheels turning slowly echoed down the prison corridor.
The man, dressed in a dark brocade robe, exuded an aura of fierce intensity despite being in a wheelchair.
The torture chamber was dark and cold, with a faint smell of blood.
Li Cheng, with his hands and feet in shackles, was pushed to the ground by the guards. When he saw the people coming in from outside, he trembled instantly.
"My lord, my lord..."
"I had no intention of harming you, please see the truth."
He knelt on the ground, kowtowing and begging for mercy, completely unlike the elegant young master of the Marquis's mansion he used to be.
Chu Xiao glanced at him, his voice icy, "I came here today in a wheelchair, all thanks to Prince Li."
"I... Your Excellency, I never intended to harm you. I wouldn't dare even if you gave me ten lives."
"I never imagined that carriage would turn out like that..."
He clasped his hands together and kowtowed repeatedly, the chains on his shackles rattling.
Mu Geng took the confession that Qi Jincheng had personally interrogated and that Li Cheng had signed.
Chu Xiao merely glanced at it a few times and said, "Now that I'm in the Criminal Investigation Department, I'll start from the beginning."
"I advise Prince Li to speak frankly and without reservation, otherwise..."
He spoke the second half of his sentence slowly and deliberately, in a casual tone, yet it was so fierce and chilling that it sent shivers down one's spine.
After kowtowing several more times, Li Cheng tremblingly recounted everything that had happened at Yuhua Mountain.
What he said was identical to the confession he had obtained during Qi Jincheng's interrogation.
But Chu Xiao still managed to find some clues and said in a deep voice, "Has Prince Li forgotten something?"
"What?" Li Cheng looked bewildered. "My lord, I really told you everything..."
"Cracks on the axle."
"The axle..." Li Cheng seemed to remember something and hurriedly said, "I only made a tiny cut with a knife, really just a tiny cut."
As he spoke, he pinched his fingertips together, eager to prove it.
But Chu Xiao didn't respond; he just stared at him indifferently.
Li Cheng was extremely anxious and started kowtowing again, almost crying, "Lord Duke, everything I said is the truth."
"I originally... I originally planned to tamper with the axle, but I also knew that if the axle broke, the carriage would very likely overturn, so I... I started working on the reins."
He wanted to create an accident to save the damsel in distress, but he never intended to hurt Shen You.
If such a crucial component as the axle were to break, Shen You would either die or be seriously injured.
This is not what he wanted to see!
Upon hearing this, Chu Xiao's eyes turned cold and deep.
A heavy rain fell on the day of the accident, washing away all traces on the mountain, but fortunately, Qi Jincheng and his men found some carriage wreckage.
Judging from the cross-section of the wreckage, the axle was deliberately damaged, which was the main reason that ultimately caused the carriage to lose control and overturn.
Li Cheng's testimony was consistent, making it highly unlikely that he was lying. It is more likely that someone wanted to use him as a tool to kill Li Cheng.
To target Shen You...
Or rather, take action against him.
Chu Xiao glanced at Li Cheng, said nothing more, and turned to push his wheelchair out of the torture chamber.
Li Cheng received no response and crawled on his knees, still in his shackles, begging for mercy.
"My lord..."
"My lord, spare my life..."
Chu Xiao kept a sullen face and did not turn around.
In the dimly lit prison corridor, the man's cold, hard features appeared even more sharp against the backdrop of the candlelight.
——
In the days since returning from Yuhua Mountain, it has been drizzling in Lin'an City.
Summer is often rainy, but thankfully today's rain isn't heavy.
Inside the residence of the Marquis of Chengde.
Chu Xiao sat in a wheelchair, with Mu Geng holding an umbrella behind him. The two, master and servant, talked in hushed tones as they made their way to Yansheng Hall.
For some unknown reason, a sharp glint flashed in the man's piercing eyes.
However, just as he rounded the moon gate, he felt a slight twitch in his ear and stopped.
Mu Geng asked in confusion, "My lord, aren't we going back to Yansheng Hall?"
Chu Xiao said, "Go and get Li Cheng's confession. I want to read it again."
“Okay,” Mu Geng said without suspicion, and was about to hand him the umbrella.
But Chu Xiao didn't take it. "Take the umbrella."
"ah?"
Mu Geng was even more confused.
How can a ruler stand by while his lord gets caught in the rain?
Before he could react, the man glanced at him and said, "Hurry up and go."
Mu Geng had no choice but to hold up his umbrella, turn around, and quickly leave.
After he left, Chu Xiao looked up at the gray sky.
The rain was continuous, yet as fine as cow's hair, falling on my body and disappearing into my clothes without leaving a trace.
He remained motionless in the courtyard, getting soaked in the rain for a while, before following the sound of footsteps not far away.
A light drizzle fell, and raindrops clung to the flowers and plants in the courtyard, leaving the ground damp.
At the corner of the corridor, the light blue hem of the girl's skirt swayed gently as she walked.
Shen You held up the umbrella, her steps light and graceful.
The next moment, when she looked up, her gaze met the dark eyes of the man in the courtyard.
Chu Xiao pushed his wheelchair slowly forward, his dark blue brocade robe with gold thread soaked by the rain, and his thick black eyelashes glistening with moisture.
The two of them gazed at each other through the misty rain.
With a slight flicker in her eyes, Shen You saw him pushing his wheelchair toward her.
She instinctively took a few steps back, but stopped when she saw his rain-soaked clothes.
Chu Xiao looked up at her, "Can Youyou help me out for a while?"
His tone was sincere, even somewhat pitiful. Shen You paused for a moment, then finally stepped to his side, tilted the umbrella towards him, and said calmly, "Let's go."
After all, she was the one who suffered the injury, and she couldn't ignore it.
The rain was misty, and raindrops dripped from the eaves.
The two remained silent the entire way, with Shen You only thinking of sending Chu Xiao back to Yansheng Hall before leaving.
However, a moment later, a low coughing sound came from beside me.
She ignored him, and he seemed to cough even more severely.
Shen You finally said, "When we return to Yansheng Hall, it would be better for the Duke to drink a bowl of ginger soup to ward off the cold."
Chu Xiao leaned slightly towards her, his dark, bright eyes looking up at her. "You're worried about me."
Shen You said, "I'm afraid that if something happens to the Duke here, the Marquis's mansion won't be able to bear the consequences."
Her voice was too calm, even the most bureaucratic officers in the Criminal Investigation Department couldn't have been more so.
A hint of disappointment welled up in Chu Xiao's eyes, but he quickly suppressed it.
Behind them, the wheelchair left a trail in the courtyard. The place was not far from Yansheng Hall, and the two quickly entered the main house.
Shen You closed the umbrella and noticed the wet stains on his brocade robe. "I'll find someone to change your clothes."
However, the moment she turned around, he grabbed her wrist.
She turned around and met his eyes.
"You forgot?"
"I don't like having other people in the room."
Shen You pursed his lips, recalling those two years in Qingxi Town, when even Zifeng and Luluo, her dowry maids, rarely entered his bedroom when he was at home.
"Shen You, can you do me a favor?"
He suddenly called her name, and in a very serious tone. Shen You almost instantly realized what he wanted her to do for her. She frowned slightly and said, "Your Excellency, you should change it yourself."
Without waiting for his reply, she turned and left the bedroom.
However, just as I stepped out of the outer room, a loud "bang" came from inside the bedroom.
Shen You subconsciously turned around, "Chu Xiao."
"What’s wrong with you?"
There was no response from inside the house.
Without further hesitation, Shen You pushed the door open and entered.
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