Chapter 100 Gaining His Pity and Having a One-Night Stand with Him
Zhou Ling's gaze lingered on her face for a moment, keenly catching the fleeting pallor that crossed her face.
In the flickering candlelight, he saw that her jawline was slightly tense, a sign that she was trying her best to control her emotions.
Instead of pressuring him, he leaned back in his chair, appearing calm and composed.
"Sheriff He Ruo," he began, "do you have feelings for the Great Xia?"
Fangru suddenly looked up.
This familiar question was like a key, instantly unlocking the floodgates of memory.
In her past life in the Northern Di, to avoid war between the two countries, she was forced to stay by "A-Qi's" side and be coerced by him. In this life, he still wants to use the net of national righteousness to firmly bind her personal will.
A faint smile involuntarily curved her lips; it was a bitter smile tinged with sarcasm.
Her eyes clearly conveyed her thoughts: As expected, you are still the same, never changed.
Zhou Ling didn't seem surprised by her reaction, but continued to ask, his voice still steady: "Do you care about the people of Carleton?"
"Of course I care about them!" Fangru blurted out.
This wasn't a pretense; it came from the bottom of my heart.
She straightened her back, her voice trembling slightly with emotion, "For the past eleven years, everyone has seen how I have treated this land and its people. Every decision I have made, every action I have taken, has been for the peace and tranquility of this land."
“In that case,” Zhou Ling leaned forward, “then help me. Capture Qi Yuan through Aluheng. This is for the stability of Great Xia, and also to protect the people of Carle City from the trampling of the Northern Di’s iron hooves.”
Fangru's chest heaved violently.
She could feel her heart racing, and the image of A Luheng's hearty smile flashed through her mind, along with the memory of his repeated acts of kindness in helping her.
“Aluheng… has been kind to me.” Her voice lowered, filled with obvious struggle. “He has saved me from danger many times. My lord, I cannot… I cannot betray a friend. You should find someone else.”
"I'm not discussing this with you." Zhou Ling's voice suddenly turned cold.
The last trace of warmth vanished from those peach blossom eyes, leaving only a condescending air of authority. "You are nothing more than the most suitable tool to get close to Qi Yuan. I am giving you an order."
He stood up and slowly walked to her.
His tall figure cast a shadow in the candlelight, completely enveloping her.
“You only have two choices now,” he said softly, but each word was like a hammer blow, “cooperate with me, or… go to jail.”
Fangru bit her lower lip hard. She could feel her nails digging deep into her palm, but it was nothing compared to the feeling in her heart.
That familiar word surged in my mind: bastard!
"Then put me in jail. I will never betray my friends or let you do as you please!"
A genuine look of surprise flashed across Zhou Ling's eyes.
He carefully examined the seemingly rough border town magistrate before him, as if he were truly getting to know this person for the first time.
This persistence and integrity were beyond his expectations.
A brief silence fell over the tent, broken only by the crackling of the candlelight, casting flickering shadows between the two men.
After a long silence, Zhou Ling suddenly turned around, his tone returning to its previous calmness, even carrying a hint of casualness:
"By the way, Sheriff He Ruo. Your wife, Wei Lei, and your son, He Xiyuan..."
He paused deliberately, noticing her sudden stiffness, before continuing, "You should be on your way to Linfeng City right now, right?"
These words struck Fangru like a thunderclap!
Her blood seemed to freeze instantly, and her face turned ashen white.
He clearly saw her pupils suddenly contract, and her breath catch in her throat for a moment. Violet and Xi Yuan… how could he know?
"You..." Her voice shrill and distorted as she took a sudden step forward, almost grabbing his collar, her eyes filled with overwhelming rage and panic, "What have you done to them?!"
Zhou Ling simply watched her lose her composure, a barely perceptible sense of control flashing in his eyes, as if everything was within his expectations.
"No need to panic. It's just that we hope Sheriff He Ruo can better 'cooperate' with official duties, so Guard Li Zuo 'invited' them to a safe place to rest and have a cup of tea."
The word "please" was spoken with exceptional gentleness, yet it was more terrifying than any threat.
The air inside the tent seemed to freeze, and even the candlelight flickered cautiously.
Fangru stared intently at Zhou Ling, her chest heaving violently, the anger and humiliation surging within her chest almost bursting out of her body.
He actually used Vire and Xi Yuan to threaten her!
"You..." Her voice was squeezed out between clenched teeth, trembling with suppressed hatred, "You despicable and shameless bastard! How dare you use such vile means!"
The moment those words left her lips, she saw Zhou Ling's eyebrows twitch almost imperceptibly, as if surprised, or perhaps understanding.
“I never said… I am not.” He answered calmly, even with a faint smile playing on his lips. The smile was nonchalant, yet it carried an air of absolute certainty, making his handsome face even more enigmatic.
This familiar way of answering made Fangru feel momentarily dazed.
In their past lives, they often clashed like this, and those probing questions hidden beneath sharp words, those exchanges intertwined with ambiguity and competition, now surfaced inappropriately in their minds.
She seemed to see again Ah Qi, the man she had been arguing with, and the complex emotions surging in his deep eyes as he gazed at her in the candlelight…
But this illusion was fleeting.
A deeper fear surged forth like a tide, violently pulling her from her memories.
What if Li Zuo and the others notice that Xi Yuan looks so much like Zhou Ling?
Before leaving this morning, she had already disguised Xi Yuan, using special ointment to make his delicate features appear ordinary and simple, thickening his eyebrows with an eyebrow pencil, and adding some freckles to his cheeks.
However, if questioned, sweat and tears may cause the disguise to fall off.
Once Zhou Ling learns that Xi Yuan is his child... the consequences will be unimaginable.
She dared not think any further.
“I promise to do as you say.” She suppressed her turbulent emotions, her voice deliberately calm. “But could you release one of them first? You only need one hostage to keep me in check, but the two of them…” She paused, deliberately making her tone hesitant, “are equally important to me.”
Zhou Ling's eyes flickered slightly, his gaze deep and unfathomable. The number of personal guards he had brought with him was already small, and after the attack in the Rehan region, their manpower was even more insufficient. Guarding two people at the same time would indeed divide the forces, so keeping one key hostage was sufficient.
"Okay." He finally spoke, his voice calm and even, revealing no emotion whatsoever. "Which one do you want to go back to?"
Fangru's thoughts raced.
Xi Yuan's appearance is a bottom line that must never be exposed. As long as her son is back by her side, she can protect him and then plan a long-term strategy to rescue Wei Lei.
Thinking of this, she raised her head and said firmly, "Let my son come back."
Zhou Ling suddenly turned around and said in a deep voice to the outside of the tent, "Li Zuo, tell Cai Shan to release that lady."
"No!" Fangru cried out in shock, her face changing drastically. Forgetting all decorum, she took a step forward, her voice filled with urgent pleading and panic, "Let my son go!"
Zhou Ling slowly turned around, the smile on his lips deepening, carrying a cunning and knowing look that made his features even more handsome and imposing: "You just said, 'They are all important.' But a person's first reaction in a moment of urgency is often the most genuine."
He stepped forward, the candlelight flickering in his deep eyes, reflecting her panicked expression: "Your instinctive reaction to save your son first proves... that he is your true weakness."
Fangru looked at him with a chill running through her body, as if she were seeing Ah Qi from her past life again, who could always easily see through her thoughts and manipulate her at will.
He's always like this, seemingly nonchalant, yet he's already in complete control.
"Now, take your wife home. Tomorrow at dawn, you will be tried in court. Once the news of your dismissal and investigation spreads, we will immediately set off for the Tuyu tribe."
Fangru's interrogation was held as scheduled in the square in the city center.
It was nearly noon, and the scorching sun beat down on the rough stone platform, reflecting a blinding white light. Below the platform, more and more people gathered, their heads thronging together, their whispers blending into a deep, muffled hum.
After two officers escorted Fangru, who had been stripped of her official hat and was dressed in plain prison clothes, onto the high platform, a considerable commotion arose among the crowd.
She lowered her eyes slightly, her gaze falling on the ground a few inches in front of her feet. The sunlight cast a small shadow on her long eyelashes, concealing all the emotions in her eyes.
The presiding judge's voice was loud and monotonous as he read out the carefully fabricated "charges": embezzling silver intended for repairing the sand embankment, accepting bribes from caravans, abusing his power for personal gain and condoning his relatives... With each charge, the murmurs from the audience grew louder.
"He Ruo," the presiding judge asked sternly, "do you admit to the aforementioned charges?"
Fangru slowly raised her head, her gaze sweeping over the familiar faces below the stage. Among them were farmers who had received her kindness, local militia who had fought alongside her to suppress bandits, and many ordinary people who had only heard of her reputation.
She saw the shock, confusion, and barely formed anger in their eyes.
She took a deep breath, as if inhaling one last time the air of Carletown into her lungs. Then, in a voice almost calm, yet loud enough for everyone in the front row to hear:
"I admit it."
These two words were like ice water poured into boiling oil, instantly causing an uproar!
"Impossible!" An old man suddenly pushed forward a few steps, his voice hoarse. "Lord He Ruo worked so hard to build the canal that he even vomited blood! How could he embezzle?"
"Yes! How could an upright official like you be a corrupt one!" several women cried out.
"It must be a false accusation!"
Voices of doubt and belief were intertwined, and the scene briefly spiraled out of control.
However, as the officials presented the "conclusive" evidence—forged ledgers and bribed "witnesses"—to the public, the crowd's emotions began to shift.
Once the seed of doubt is planted, it quickly takes root and sprouts in the soil of disappointment.
"You corrupt official!" someone shouted hoarsely.
"hypocrite!"
"Pah! We were blind!"
A rotten vegetable leaf whistled through the air and landed with a "thud" on Fangru's shoulder, its sticky juice sliding down her coarse prison uniform.
This was like a command, and more vegetable leaves, clods of dirt, and even small stones flew out from the crowd, hitting her body and face.
She stood there, like a soulless statue, neither flinching nor avoiding, letting the filth and pain be inflicted upon her.
A small pebble scratched my forehead, drawing blood and stinging, but it was nothing compared to the desolation in my heart.
The interrogation ended in chaos and shouting.
Zhou Ling did not fully carry out his threat of "parading prisoners through the streets," perhaps because he did not want to go too far and cause unnecessary complications, or perhaps out of a sense of reluctance that he himself did not realize.
Fangru was escorted by the officials, and amidst scornful glances and still-unabated curses, she silently walked back to the gray tent that served as a temporary hall.
Inside the tent, Zhou Ling stood with his hands behind his back in front of the map.
Hearing footsteps, he turned around, his gaze sweeping over her disheveled figure before finally settling on the glaring stain on her shoulder and the wound on her forehead.
“The results are good.” He said calmly. “Aluheng has informants in Carletown. The news this morning should reach him by tonight. We’ll set off first thing tomorrow morning.”
Fangru stood silently, radiating a cold resistance.
She really wanted to ask, how is Xi Yuan? Is he safe? But as soon as the thought arose, she suppressed it.
She looked up and scrutinized Zhou Ling carefully. His eyes remained deep and calm, and his demeanor still exuded an air of complete control.
If he had seen Xi Yuan and realized that the child's features were almost identical to his, he would never have been so calm and so cold towards her.
Since his attitude hadn't changed, Xi Yuan should be safe. This realization became the only lifeline she could cling to at this moment.
The next morning, the sky was just beginning to lighten.
The group quietly set off from the side gate of the military camp, disappearing into the still-lingering morning mist. The group was extremely small, consisting of only a dozen or so elite guards led by Li Zuo, each riding a tall camel and scattered around in a guard formation, in addition to the giant sand cart known as the "Heroic Camel" that Zhou Ling was riding in.
Fangru rubbed her sore eyes from not sleeping all night and was about to ask Li Zuo for a camel to ride when the curtain of the carriage behind her was lifted by a hand with distinct knuckles.
"Come in." Zhou Ling's voice came from inside the carriage, slightly hoarse from the morning, but still an unquestionable command. "It's pointless to waste your energy outside. Come in and rest."
Fangru paused, hesitated for a moment, but still followed instructions and stepped onto the "powerful camel." This was her first time entering the interior of such a legendary, expensive camel carriage, built specifically for dignitaries or important military purposes. In the past, even she, as a sheriff, would never have been able to set foot inside without the special permission of Captain Daxi.
The interior of the carriage was much more spacious than she had imagined.
To accommodate the long journey, the interior was thoughtfully furnished. On one side, there was a narrow couch covered with a plain-colored cotton mattress, next to which were a table and chairs firmly fixed to the floor, as well as a small display cabinet tea table, on which even a set of celadon tea set was placed. Thick curtains hung from the windows, providing both shade and privacy when necessary.
The entire space is simple, yet it exudes a subtle sense of comfort and sophistication.
Zhou Ling was sitting in a soft chair by the table, reading a book by the light streaming in through the car window. Hearing her come in, he didn't even look up, but casually gestured with the hand holding the book to the empty seat opposite him.
"sit."
Fangru sat down in the spot he designated, but her body couldn't relax due to the slight swaying of the carriage.
The camel cart had begun its journey, and the rhythmic swaying and the monotonous sand dune scenery outside the window made time seem to thicken and slow down.
Silence spread through the small space, broken only by the occasional soft rustling of pages turning and the gentle breathing of each other.
After an unknown amount of time, Fangru finally couldn't suppress the growing anxiety in her heart as they approached their destination.
She turned her head to look at the still composed man, breaking the silence:
"What if...we reach the territory of the Tuyu tribe, and Aluheng remains hesitant and refuses to show himself?"
Zhou Ling's gaze did not leave the book, but the corners of his lips curved almost imperceptibly as he casually replied, "Then tell him how miserable you are. Cry, make a scene, threaten suicide—women... cough, everyone should know these few tricks to win his pity."
Fangru frowned even more. What kind of solution was this?
She pressed further, "What if he's as hard-hearted as iron, or too suspicious, and still refuses to come out?"
Only then did Zhou Ling slowly put down the book and turn to look at her.
Morning light filtered through the curtains, casting dappled patterns of light into his deep eyes, a hint of obvious mockery in them, as if he were discussing something quite amusing.
“Then find a way to send a message in,” he said casually, even with a hint of nonchalant teasing, “saying that you were desperate and remembered his past kindness, and wished to repay him with your body and spend a night with him. Since he values you so much, he probably won’t refuse such… comfort.”
Fangru felt a sudden jolt in her heart, as if her blood had rushed to her head and then quickly receded, leaving behind a chill.
He...he figured it out?
How could you tell she was a woman?
Fangru's heart tightened suddenly, and she almost held her breath.
But when she met his calm, unwavering gaze, which even seemed to scrutinize the feasibility of her plan, she suddenly realized that he had never seen through her disguise.
In this man's eyes, she was still that rough and unruly sheriff, He Ruo. His words just now were merely a suggestion from a man's perspective, offering what he considered the most effective "brilliant plan."
In this remote border region, it's common for the sons of the powerful and wealthy to keep male prostitutes, and homosexuality is not uncommon. Zhou Ling clearly also saw her as a man he could make such a deal with, which is why he casually suggested she use her body as bait.
However, it was this unaware disdain, this indifference that treated her dignity and body as bargaining chips to be used at will, that poured ice water over her, making her feel a chilling sense of humiliation and anger.
"Shameless!" Fangru turned her head to look at the sand dunes rushing past the window, squeezing out these two words through gritted teeth. Her voice was not loud, but it was full of contempt.
Zhou Ling had obviously heard him. Instead of getting angry, he picked up his book again, leaned back in his chair with a languid posture, and said slowly, "If cursing could solve problems, and you could rely on a sharp tongue, you would be the undisputed city lord of Carle City by now."
Fangru was furious, her chest tight with anger, and immediately retorted: "If such despicable things could be sold by weight, with your abilities, you would probably be richer than a country by now. Why would you need to come to this harsh and cold land beyond the Great Wall to toil and struggle?"
"Oh?" Zhou Ling raised an eyebrow, his gaze still fixed on the pages of the book, but his tone carried a hint of amusement. "It seems that Lord He Ruo is not only tough, but also quite eloquent. It's just a pity that he is now a prisoner, and even the sharpest tongue has to be at someone else's beck and call."
“Being ordered around doesn’t mean you can be humiliated!” Fangru suddenly turned around and glared at him. “If Lord Zhou thinks that he can only succeed by such despicable means, how is he any different from those street thugs?”
Zhou Ling finally raised his eyes, meeting her anger head-on. The half-smile on his lips deepened: "The difference is that street thugs are after petty gains, while I am after the nation and its people. The means and methods are never important. Lord He Ruo has been an official for eleven years; surely you understand this principle?"
"I know what to do and what not to do!" Fangru retorted firmly.
"That's why you're standing here instead of continuing to be your 'righteous official'." Zhou Ling's voice turned cold, carrying a cruel reminder.
A tense silence fell over the carriage, broken only by the rhythmic swaying of the camel cart as it moved, carrying the unspoken tension between the two men.
Fangru gazed at the boundless sand dunes outside the window, her heart filled with longing for Xiyuan.
She noticed that Li Zuo had approached the carriage earlier and whispered to Zhou Ling. Although she didn't hear the specifics, the words "Cai Shan" and "Young Master" were enough to convince her that Xi Yuan was at the back of the group, being guarded by Zhou Ling's confidants.
She turned around, deliberately adopting a worried expression, and her tone became cautious and tactful: "Lord Zhou, I have thought this through carefully. Aluheng is an extremely suspicious man. He has invited me to join the Tuyu tribe many times before, but I declined each time, citing the need to send my son to study in Kaluo City. Now that I am down on my luck and seeking refuge here, but without my son, whom I cherish as my lifeblood, he will surely become suspicious. For the sake of the plan to go smoothly, please return my son to me."
Zhou Ling didn't even look up, turned a page of his book, and sneered, "Who brings their whole family to Liangshan? If you really want a son, wait until you see Aluheng, have him snatch a wife for you, and then have another one on the mountain."
These words sent a chill down Fangru's spine, and a complex, indescribable emotion welled up within her.
She suddenly remembered the rumors she had vaguely heard over the years.
It is said that no princes or princesses have been born in the Great Xia imperial harem to date, which worries the Empress Dowager greatly. She even personally selected several intelligent children from the collateral branches of the imperial clan to raise in the palace and carefully teach them in preparation for their future succession to the throne.
It must be because of these nominal "offspring" that he was able to temporarily extricate himself from the complicated political affairs in the capital and come to this frontier to travel incognito.
Immediately, an almost malicious speculation involuntarily surfaced in his mind: was his disdain for other people's children because he had never experienced fatherhood? As the emperor, yet having no children, there must have been speculation in the court and among the people that he was suffering from a hidden illness.
Recalling the whispers in the streets about his homosexuality and impotence in previous lives, a cold sneer crossed Fangru's lips.
Seeing this crack in his perfect authority at this moment gave her a twisted sense of pleasure.
Fangru picked up her teacup and took a sip, casually mentioning, "It's quite a coincidence, but the other day I overheard merchants chatting in the city, saying that the Xia Kingdom's royal family seems to be having a shortage of offspring... Even the Empress Dowager has to carefully select and cultivate young men from the imperial clan." She deliberately spoke vaguely, but her gaze secretly swept over Zhou Ling's hand holding the book, catching his subtle reaction.
Zhou Ling tightened his grip on the book almost imperceptibly. "Lord He Ruo seems to know a great deal about the secrets of the royal family." His tone was calm, yet carried an invisible pressure. "Unfortunately, it's best to be cautious about what you've only heard."
He suddenly leaned forward, his sleeve sweeping across the map spread out on the table, each word as clear as a knife: "Moreover... what you should be thinking about now is how to make a safe retreat from the Tuyu tribe." His fingertips emphasized the location marked with Tuyu's sphere of influence, his strength steady, "After all... what Aluheng hates most is a treacherous person."
He was very close, and the cool scent of ambergris mixed with a faint smell of dust wafted over me, creating a strong sense of pressure, but it only made his handsome features and outstanding temperament stand out even more.
Seeing that he was unmoved by her words, Fangru had no choice but to steer the conversation back on track, her tone becoming more forceful: "Without Xiyuan by my side, Aluheng will never believe that I am truly loyal. He already hates the Xia people, and if he sees through our deception, we will all be hacked to death. Rather than that, we should turn back now!"
Zhou Ling suddenly exerted force with his knuckles, slamming the book onto the table with a "thud," and shouted coldly towards the outside, "Stop the car! Throw this noisy thing out!"
His sinister gaze swept across Fangru's face like an icy blade. His anger was not outwardly expressed, but it carried an intimidating pressure: "Do you really think you are indispensable? Even without you as bait, I can still capture Aluheng. It will just take a little longer!"
Fangru was startled by his sudden outburst of anger and took a half step back, her shoulder hitting the carriage wall. Then, her anger surged: "What's wrong with you! You want me to risk my life for you, yet you're so fickle!"
Before she could finish speaking, Li Zuo had already lifted the curtain and rushed in, his iron-like hand immediately gripping her arm.
Looking out at the vast desert, with its endless yellow sand, Fangru realized that being abandoned here meant certain death. She finally panicked: "Lord Zhou! You..."
“What I need are obedient tools, not self-righteous burdens.” Zhou Ling’s voice was as cold as ice, each word piercing to the bone. “If you dare to question my arrangements again, get out and fend for yourself.”
Fangru bit her lower lip.
If they are driven away now, Xi Yuan will truly have no hope of being saved.
She suppressed her anger, lowered her head and whispered, "Yes...it was my oversight, I misspoke."
After Li Zuo got out of the carriage and started driving again, Fangru clenched her fists secretly. She vowed in her heart that when they arrived at the Tuyu tribe, she would make him pay for today's humiliation.
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