The Ministry of Punishment has no charcoal to use.

There are three rooms here, standing in a triangle.

The left room was used for torturing and interrogating servants, the middle room was the tea room, and the right room was a simple cell for temporarily detaining servants.

If the servant who made a mistake was not interrogated by the master, he would be sent to the Ministry of Punishment for torture. If he was lucky enough to survive, he would be sent to the Xinzheku when he woke up.

Xiwen was a criminal sent to the Ministry of Punishment by the Queen herself. Logically, he should have been beaten to death.

But...whether to judge or not? What to judge? The queen did not make it clear.

——How much weight does this aunt, who once played a very important role in Kunning Palace, still have in the Queen's heart?

When everyone was feeling uneasy, Concubine Ji came with Princess Xiyan.

The servants were well-informed and had already known that it was Noble Lady Ji who had defeated Xiwen, so they hurried forward and bowed.

Unexpectedly, Wu Qing asked, "Where is Xiwen now?"

The maid from the Ministry of Punishment was slightly startled: "Young Master, you want to see the prisoner Liu Xiwen now?"

Wu Qing nodded slightly, "Well, I want to take the princess with me."

"This..." The nanny looked embarrassed and hesitated, "The cell is dirty and filthy. I'm afraid it will be a nuisance to the noble and the princess."

Princess Xiyan followed Wu Qing closely. Painful groans were heard from the dark room on the left, and a faint smell of blood lingered in the nose.

She covered her mouth and nose in discomfort, but did not retreat.

Wu Qing frowned slightly, "Did you torture her too?"

The nanny glanced at her face and said, "Your Excellency has misunderstood. It was not us who did it."

"Xiwen lost control of her emotions and hit her head. Although the servants stepped forward to stop her in time, her forehead was still disfigured."

Xiyan was very anxious. She lifted her skirt, quickly pushed away the person blocking her way, and ran quickly to the right room.

The nanny was horrified: "Princess!!!"

The blood and energy in the Ministry of Punishment are heavy. How can the princess get in?

"Nothing, I'll bring her out in a moment."

Wu Qing turned around and handed over a heavy ingot of silver, saying softly, "Madam, please give us an incense stick of time."

"Oh, my lord, that's not right. Xiwen dared to slander your reputation, you have the right to do whatever you want."

The nanny immediately smiled happily, and after taking the money she refused to mention anything else.

The room where Xiwen was imprisoned was not far away.

The cell was dark and there was a thin layer of straw on the floor, which was supposed to be used to keep out the cold. However, due to the damp environment, it became moldy and gave off a cold, damp and smelly odor.

Princess Xiyan jogged all the way to the fence, but slowed down as she got closer.

"……aunt?"

Princess Xiyan asked somewhat uncertainly.

The woman in the prison had disheveled hair and a two-finger-long wound on her forehead. The wound was not wide and no longer bleeds, but it was just like a twisted scar, branded on the woman's pale face.

Awakened by unfamiliar footsteps, the woman on the ground suddenly looked up, with an unusual light shining in her eyes.

"Princess? Is that you, Princess?"

Xiwen suddenly rushed to the fence, making a loud noise.

"Are you here to save me? Go and plead with the queen. If the queen doesn't agree, go and plead with the eldest prince. He will definitely speak for you."

Xiwen tried his best and stretched out his bloody hand through the gap in the fence, trying to grab the corner of Xiyan's clothes.

"What are you still standing there for? Go!"

Her desperate expression for survival was no different from that of a devil, which made Xiyan take a step back.

A warm hand gently rested on Xiyan's shoulder and patted her gently to comfort her.

Wu Qing slowly walked up from behind her and said to Xiwen in the cell: "Just now in Kunning Palace, I thought you had put life and death aside."

"Why, when you saw the princess, you regained hope of life?"

"…It's you. Are you here to show off to me?"

Seeing Wu Qing, Xiwen sneered and sat back on the pile of straw.

After her tricks failed and the truth was revealed, she no longer used honorifics to address Wu Qing.

[Do you think I want to find you? ]

Wu Qing's tone revealed a bit of helplessness: "It's not me who came to find you, it's Xiyan. Xiyan heard about your situation and hurried to find me for an explanation."

"I think the princess won't trust my one-sided statement. It would be better to let you explain it yourself."

Xiwen raised a hint of sarcasm at the corner of his mouth: "Let me explain? Are you daydreaming?"

Wu Qing nodded and said, "Your death will be the end of everything, but what about your brothers and sisters? The Queen feels guilty towards me and will respond to my requests. You are thoughtful, so I don't need to waste my words on you."

Xiwen was silent for a moment, with complex emotions in his eyes.

Wu Qing knew that she had compromised, "Princess, ask."

After she finished speaking, she left the cell to give the two space to talk, and started strolling around the Ministry of Punishment.

The small Ministry of Punishment actually imprisoned quite a few people.

When Wu Qing asked, he found out that most of them were sent in because of violating palace rules.

As for what palace rules were violated? — Sorry, I don’t know.

Wu Qing was puzzled: "...How could you not know?"

The maid replied, "You are joking, my Lord. Most of these palace servants are from commoner families and cannot read a single word. How can they be as knowledgeable as you?"

"Forget about memorizing the palace rules. It's already difficult to avoid offending the master."

Wu Qing frowned and asked, "Don't the palaces have assessments? Can I go straight to work without remembering the palace rules?"

Mammy thought for a moment and replied, "It's not that we don't have an assessment. It's just that everyone has their own master. Isn't it the master who has the final say on whether they have made a mistake or not?"

She smiled and said, "Besides, if they make a mistake, just kill them. There are nearly a thousand people trying to get into the palace every year, so there is no shortage of these stupid people."

Wu Qing choked: "..."

[Forget it... Nanshanyuan will save as many people as possible. ]

On the other side of the cell, Xi Yan approached the cold bars, squatted down and said, "Aunt, I have always believed in you."

Xiyan said slowly, "After coming to Kunning Palace, everyone treated me badly, only my aunt was kind to me."

"But during this period, I always felt a sense of strangeness."

Xiyan looked confused. "Why doesn't Aunt believe Concubine Ji? I think the way she treats me... doesn't seem to be pretending. Aunt should apologize to Concubine Ji. She will forgive you."

Xiwen's shoulders trembled and his whole body twitched slightly.

After a while, Xiwen couldn't help laughing and said, "Princess, you are so naive."

After laughing for a while, Xiwen put away his crazy expression.

She stared at Xi Yan and said coldly: "If you were a prince, you might be able to fight for my chance of survival. Unfortunately, you are just a princess and you are powerless to change anything."

"If I had known you were so useless, why would I have spent so much time and effort on you? It's such a waste."

Xiyan's heart trembled, "What do you mean by that, auntie...?"

Xiwen pushed the scattered hair in front of her face behind her ears.

She said, "I am going to die anyway, so I will tell you everything."

"The indifference and neglect you feel are all intentional on my part."

"Do you think the servants neglected you because you are the Virtuous Consort? No, I secretly ordered them to do so."