Chapter 38 Shen You, don't be sad.
"Shen You, could you please give me a chance...?"
The same opportunity as Yao Yiqian.
The man didn't get a chance to finish his sentence.
Even the first half of the sentence was drowned out by the sounds coming from outside.
"My lord, Miss Shen, we've arrived at the Criminal Investigation Department."
Shen You responded and got out of the car first.
The stone lions in front of the Criminal Investigation Department are majestic and awe-inspiring, and the constables have stern faces.
This was Shen You's first time here, and he subconsciously looked up at the high-hanging plaque.
Chu Xiao got off the carriage, sat in his wheelchair, and came to her side. He didn't mention the half-sentence he had said in the carriage earlier. "Go in."
Within the Criminal Investigation Department, the prison cells are the darkest and filthiest places.
But besides that, there are also several government offices with deposits.
Chu Xiao instructed his subordinate Cui Yang, "Take Miss Shen to the signing room in the courtyard."
Cui Yang was taken aback, looked up at him, and said, "...Yes."
Knowing that he was going to the prison to interrogate Wang Meng, Shen You nodded slightly to him and then left with Cui Yang.
The interior of the Xingchasi was very large, but there were hardly any people along the way.
After bypassing the screen wall and passing through the moon gate, Shen You arrived at the door of a two-story building.
Cui Yang treated her with utmost respect, pushed open the door, and said, "Miss Shen, please come in."
Shen You stepped inside and glanced around, noticing that the furnishings in the room were quite unlike those of an ordinary government office signing room.
In the center of the room was a table, and to the right were several armchairs, presumably for receiving guests. To the left were many bookshelves, neatly arranged, with books and documents on each shelf.
At a glance, she knew that the writing implements on the table were precious and of the highest quality.
Cui Yang followed her inside, stood in front of the table, spread out Xuan paper, and ground ink for her. Seeing the doubt in her eyes, he said, "This is where the lord usually handles official business."
Upon hearing this, Cui Yang couldn't help but look at her again.
Lord Chu is averse to women; everyone in the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics knows this.
Cui Yang had followed Chu Xiao through thick and thin on the battlefield. After Chu Xiao returned to the capital, he followed him back and found a job in the Criminal Investigation Department.
Therefore, it becomes even clearer what kind of ascetic life Chu Xiao has been living all these years.
In Lin'an City, any official caught by Chu Xiao for committing a crime who sent money or beautiful women to the Investigation Department would have an additional charge of bribing officials added to their list of crimes.
All the women were eventually sent back.
This was Chu Xiao's usual office in the Bureau of Investigation, a place that ordinary constables couldn't even come to, but today Miss Shen was allowed to enter.
Previously, when the brothers from the Criminal Investigation Department got together, they joked and guessed that someone like Lord Chu must be a celestial being to match him.
Now, the answer is right before our eyes.
Cui Yang knew perfectly well that the person before him was someone the lord valued highly.
The room was filled with the faint scent of ink. Without thinking much, Shen You went to the desk and picked up his brush to write.
Out of curiosity, Cui Yang craned his neck to look.
The wolf-hair brush settled, and the ink spread.
One painting after another.
Before long, Shen You put down his pen.
Both sheets of Xuan paper bear portraits of men.
One was a man with regular features, who looked like a young master from a wealthy family.
Another man wore a straw hat and had his face covered, but his eyes were not painted on.
Shen You put down his pen and waited for the ink to dry before saying, "Please take me to see the Duke."
Cui Yang snapped out of his daze and quickly replied, "Okay."
——
Meanwhile, in the prison cell of the Criminal Investigation Department.
Although it was broad daylight, the prison corridor was dark and cold, lit only by candlelight on the surrounding walls.
"Ugh—"
From inside the torture chamber came Wang Meng's repeated struggles.
"Sir, I've confessed everything..."
"They've confessed everything..."
"The man was wearing a straw hat, I really couldn't see his face... um—"
Before he could finish speaking, Wang Meng's face was covered with wet paper.
He didn't understand why the torture hadn't stopped even though he had told the truth.
The paper was wet and stuck firmly to his face, covering his nostrils and mouth.
He was panting heavily, but the air in his lungs was being squeezed out little by little. He struggled violently, kicking his feet, but was held down tightly by the constables beside him.
Chu Xiao sat in his wheelchair, coldly watching the executioners carry out the sentence.
If it weren't for the fact that Shen You was going to have Wang Meng identify the portrait later, and that she was afraid Wang Meng's blood would frighten her, the torture chamber would probably already be filled with a strong smell of blood.
Based on the look he gave Shen You at the Yong'an Marquis's residence just now, there's no way he could have survived.
The candlelight flickered in the torture chamber, casting shadows on the man's cold, sharp profile. He could hear Wang Meng's sobbing pleas for mercy, but he seemed not to hear them.
Mu Geng came to his side and whispered, "My lord, Miss Shen has arrived."
Chu Xiao paused for a moment, then gently lifted his hand from the wheelchair handle. "Clean him up and carry him to the interrogation room."
"yes."
As soon as he finished speaking, the wet tissue on Wang Meng's face was finally removed.
"Hoo..."
He collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, as if he had just returned from the underworld, trembling with fear.
Inquire in the room.
Shen You, dressed in a jade-colored silk skirt with double butterfly and cloud patterns, did not feel uncomfortable even in the prison of the Criminal Investigation Department. She just stood there, holding two portraits in her hands.
This is the scene that Chu Xiao saw when he pushed his wheelchair inside.
The hard stone walls isolated the prison from the outside light, and in the dimly lit environment, the girl's jade-colored figure stood gracefully.
Like that glimmer of light he glimpsed in his midnight dreams during those four years.
Chu Xiao's eyes darkened slightly, his gaze fixed on her without blinking.
Hearing the noise behind her, Shen You turned around and immediately met the man's inexplicably deep gaze.
She was somewhat puzzled, looked away, and asked, "Where's Wang Meng?"
When he came in just now, there seemed to be a faint plea for mercy. Could it be that he was beaten so badly that he can't even see the portrait anymore?
Her cool voice pulled Chu Xiao back to reality.
He called out, "Bring him in."
Outside, officers brought in Wang Meng, whose hands and feet were shackled.
Upon seeing Shen You, he reacted as if he had seen a savior, almost lunging at her.
"Miss Shen, Miss Shen, please, please save me..."
This prison of the Criminal Investigation Department is no place for a human being.
"I'll tell you anything you want to know, and I promise I'll never offend you again..."
He howled like a banshee, and his eye, which had already been injured by Chu Xiao, now looked like a bloody hole, which was quite frightening.
The shackles rattled, but he couldn't get even a step closer to Shen You.
Shen You subconsciously took several steps back, only to be blocked by a tall figure.
Chu Xiao stood up, leaning on his cane, and stood in front of her, his dark eyes fixed on Wang Meng as if they were filled with frost.
Cui Yang took Wang Meng aside, locked him up, and kicked him again, saying, "Just tell me the truth."
Wang Meng groaned in pain and hurriedly said, "I will definitely tell you, I will definitely tell you."
Shen You composed himself and, seeing that he was indeed unable to move, then came to him.
He asked, "Who sent you to the Marquis of Yong'an's residence?"
Wang Meng had a bitter face. "I really didn't see what he looked like."
He recounted everything about his previous meeting with that person in detail.
Wang Meng was a gambler. He had been on a winning streak recently and won some money, but when he was walking home late at night, a stranger stopped him and arrogantly asked to borrow money.
He was so angry he laughed; it was the first time he'd ever seen such a shameless person.
But then the man said he would show Wang Meng a way to make money, and then he told him about Shen You's situation, saying that no one in Lin'an City knew what Shen You's ex-husband looked like, so if Wang Meng impersonated him, he wouldn't be exposed.
Once he becomes Shen You's ex-husband, how much money can he ask for?
Isn't life much better than it is now?
The idea sounds far-fetched at first glance, but the allure of money and beautiful women is undeniable.
Wang Meng thought that if it didn't work out, at most he would just be kicked out, and it would be Shen You's reputation that would be damaged, not his own.
So he nodded in agreement.
After exchanging information that night, Wang Meng gave all the money he had to that person.
It was agreed that Wang Meng would give the man two hundred taels of silver after the flower viewing banquet at the Yong'an Marquis's mansion was held.
That's how things came to be today.
Throughout the entire encounter, Wang Meng only met that man once, and at that time the man was wearing a bamboo hat and his face was covered with a cloth, so apart from vaguely seeing a pair of eyes, nothing else could be seen.
At this point, Wang Meng burst into tears and tried to kneel down and kowtow, but he couldn't move.
In the quiet interrogation room, only his wailing echoed.
Shen You frowned subconsciously.
Chu Xiao raised a cold eyebrow slightly, and Cui Yang, who was standing next to him, immediately understood and kicked Wang Meng in the back, threateningly saying, "Shut up."
The inquiry room finally quieted down.
Shen You stepped forward and unfolded the portrait of the young master in front of Wang Meng. "Do you recognize this person?"
Wang Meng endured the pain, but because one eye was already blind, he had to crane his neck to see.
After careful examination, he shook his head, "I don't recognize it, I really don't recognize it."
Shen You pursed her lips and held up the other portrait, which depicted a person wearing a straw hat but without facial features, to the front.
Then he turned around to reach for the candlestick on the wooden table, which was lit by a candle.
Just as she was about to reach out, the candlestick was already in someone's hand and brought before her.
She instinctively looked to the side.
Chu Xiao leaned on a cane with one hand and held a candlestick in the other.
The candle wick flickered, separating them, and the light fell on their faces.
Their shadowy figures made it seem as if starlight was dancing in each other's eyes.
When Chu Xiao saw the two portraits, he knew what she was going to do.
Without her having to say anything, she simply held the candlestick behind the portrait.
The candlelight instantly illuminated the two perfectly overlapping sheets of paper.
The young master's features, illuminated by the light, perfectly overlapped with the other portrait, which had no features, making them look like a single person.
Wang Meng's eyes widened suddenly. "It's him!"
"That's the person!"
He had already admitted it without Shen You even having to ask.
Mu Geng and Cui Yang looked at each other, feeling that Miss Shen's move was truly ingenious.
Shen You's beautiful eyes darkened slightly, and she felt extremely ironic.
After getting the answer she wanted, she lowered her hand holding the portrait and turned to leave the interrogation room.
"Oh, Miss Shen, save me..."
"Help me... ah—"
Wang Mengtian's shameless pleas for mercy were interrupted by Cui Yang's punch, and then his mouth was gagged.
In the dimly lit corridor of the prison, the girl's jade-colored skirt circled around the corner, and just as she was about to disappear, Chu Xiao, leaning on his crutch, chased after her and grabbed her hand.
He wasn't sure how she was feeling, but he figured it probably wasn't much better.
He paused for a moment, then said, "Shen You, there's no need to be sad for this kind of person."
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