Chapter 21 Testimony: I have plenty of ways.
That night, the Forbidden City seemed unusually quiet.
Inside the Yilan Palace, the candlelight was dimmed, leaving only a hazy glow in a corner.
Zhou Ling and Fang Ru lay in each other's arms. Under the brocade quilt, his arms were always tightly wrapped around her waist, an unquestionable possession, and also a dependence like that of a drowning person clinging to a piece of driftwood.
The thin, long wound on his cheek had been carefully treated by the imperial physician and covered with a small piece of plain gauze, standing out starkly against the emperor's majestic face. It was a mark left when she lost control yesterday.
The next morning, this small piece of gauze caused a silent ripple in the imperial court.
When the ministers saw the emperor's injured face, they were all shocked and speculated about what kind of madman dared to injure the emperor's body. Calls for a thorough investigation and severe punishment were growing louder.
However, Zhou Ling, sitting upright on the dragon throne, merely touched the edge of the gauze with his fingertips indifferently in the face of the ministers' astonishment and advice. Far from being angry, a very faint, almost dazed smile flashed in his eyes, as if it were not a scar, but some kind of secret badge, leaving the ministers stunned and not daring to investigate further.
After court, he returned to Yilan Palace, only to find Fangru standing blankly by the window, wearing only a thin nightgown, gazing at a sycamore tree outside with its leaves turning yellow. A faint, unyielding sorrow lingered between her brows, as if the desolation of the entire autumn had fallen upon her shoulders.
Zhou Ling paused slightly, gazing at her for a moment, the faint warmth in his eyes gradually replaced by something deeper and darker.
He did not approach her to disturb her, but quietly retreated to the outer room and summoned Li Zuo, the commander of the Imperial Guards.
Li Zuo bowed and obeyed, not daring to utter a sound.
Zhou Ling's gaze swept over the slender figure in the inner hall, his voice low but clear and cold: "Go to the imperial prison and interrogate Gu Zhou."
Li Zuo's body trembled slightly, clearly knowing that this matter was of great importance.
He hesitated for a moment, then took half a step forward, lowering his voice to an even more cautious tone: "Your Majesty, I dare to ask... if he were to use that matter as a bargaining chip, or if he were to be tortured into revealing it...?"
Zhou Ling's eyes suddenly turned sharp as a knife, as if all the previous daze and tenderness had been stripped away in an instant, leaving only the ruthlessness and decisiveness of an emperor.
He paused for a moment, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the jade thumb ring, before finally uttering the command in a cold voice:
"Go warn him first." His voice was completely calm. "Tell him that if he wants to keep his life, he should keep his mouth shut. He is not allowed to reveal a single word about Fangru... about that matter. Otherwise, I have plenty of ways to make him wish he were dead."
"Yes!" Li Zuo's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately accepted the order, bowing and quietly retreating.
Zhou Ling stood still, his gaze once again fixed on the figure by the window. His deep eyes surged with emotions: an intense possessiveness, a cold calculation, and a hint of barely perceptible fear that even he himself might not be aware of.
He suddenly spoke, breaking the silence in the hall: "Change your clothes. I'll take you somewhere."
Before long, the carriage did not return to the inner palace, but stopped outside the Ministry of Justice.
Zhou Ling didn't give her time to hesitate and led her straight into the inner hall. A servant respectfully presented her with a set of slightly oversized blue robes for an official of the Ministry of Justice, which had been prepared beforehand.
"Change into it." His tone left no room for argument, his gaze sweeping over her bewildered face. "From this day forward, you will 'observe politics' here during the day. I grant you permission to review all documents except those that are top secret. By the end of the day, someone will come to fetch you back to the palace."
Fangru stood there, stunned, almost unable to believe her ears.
Staying at the Ministry of Justice during the day? This was tantamount to handing over the opportunity she had longed for! Her heart pounded, and she suppressed the question that was about to spill out. She quickly changed into the men's clothing. The wide sleeves of the robe made her look even thinner, but she had a stubborn air about her.
She took a deep breath, seizing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and looked up directly at Zhou Ling, her gaze intense: "Since Your Majesty has granted me permission to observe the government here, I humbly request your assistance in investigating the case of Gu Zhou being falsely accused of colluding with the Northern Barbarians! I firmly believe there must be some injustice involved, and I beg Your Majesty's permission!"
A faint hint of understanding flashed across Zhou Ling's eyes, as if he had already expected her to say that.
He didn't answer immediately, but instead scrutinized the familiar, indomitable light in her eyes, as if admiring a bird trying to break free of a gilded cage, appreciating its vitality while knowing its futility.
After a moment, he spoke slowly and deliberately, his tone steady, yet carrying an almost indulgent probing and an invisible warning: "Granted. But remember, Fangru, everything has its limits; do not overstep them." The word "limits" was uttered softly, yet it carried immense weight, clearly defining the boundaries of her actions.
On the first day of "observing the government," Fangru was buried in piles of documents, trying to find clues among the vast amount of paperwork, when a figure uninvitedly stopped beside the desk she had temporarily set up.
The visitor was Zheng Yu, a senior official in the Ministry of Justice.
He was dressed in a neat blue robe with official rank badges, his face serious, his chin slightly raised. His gaze swept over her obviously ill-fitting blue official robe, which even required her to roll up her sleeves, and he made no attempt to hide his contempt and sarcasm.
“Tsk,” he didn’t lower his voice, which drew the attention of several clerks nearby. “When did this important Ministry of Justice become a place where nepotism thrives? Without someone to ‘help’ you, it would be difficult to put on an official robe, would it?” His words were like poisoned needles, precisely piercing Fangru’s most sensitive spot. The phrase “merit in serving the emperor” was not explicitly stated, but it was like a slap in the face.
Fangru's fingers tightened suddenly as she gripped the dossier, her knuckles turning white, and a layer of frost instantly settled between her gentle brows and eyes.
Given her current temperament, which had been half-imprisoned and half-pampered by Zhou Ling, and the pressure of urgently investigating the case, she would almost immediately retort.
However, just as her anger was rising, a memory from her third life suddenly crashed into her mind. Back then, when she wanted to search Zhou Jun's residence, it was Zheng Yu who gave her a faint warmth and help.
That small debt of gratitude, separated by life and death and reincarnation, clearly suppressed her anger at this moment.
She took a deep breath, and when she looked up again, her eyes were surprisingly calm, and there was even a very faint smile on her lips that revealed no emotion.
She did not get up, but remained seated, her gaze calmly meeting Zheng Yu's provocative stare.
"Lord Zheng is concerned about the affairs of the ministry and has a keen eye for detail. I admire him greatly." Her voice was not loud, but clear and steady, as if the other party had just been mocking someone else. "I am not very talented or learned, but I am fortunate to have the trust of His Majesty and to be able to learn and observe the government here. I will do my best to fulfill my duties and dare not fail His Majesty's grace."
She subtly changed the subject, her tone remaining calm, yet it was as if she had casually tossed a pebble into his heart: "It seems you, sir, have some troubles at home lately. I've heard your younger brother is quite carefree and seems to have plans to visit friends in Jingchuan. With the continuous autumn rains and rugged mountain roads, the slopes along the Jingchuan road may be prone to shifting after being soaked by the rain. As an elder brother, I hope you will dissuade him and take precautions to prevent any accidents, lest you regret it later."
Around the same time in his previous life, when autumn was deepening, Zheng Yu's carefree and unrestrained younger brother, who loved to immerse himself in nature, had an accident on the treacherous and slippery mountain road in Jingchuan. He slipped and fell down the slope. Although he was lucky enough to survive, he broke his spine and became unable to walk, suffering a lifelong disability.
The sarcasm on Zheng Yu's face froze instantly, turning into surprise and uncertainty, his pupils contracting almost imperceptibly.
His brother did indeed have this plan, and it was a private agreement that was not publicized to the outside world!
He stared intently at Fangru, trying to find the slightest trace of teasing or probing on her calm and expressionless face, but to no avail.
The feeling was as if someone had inadvertently illuminated the most hidden corner of my home for a moment.
His Adam's apple bobbed, all the sarcastic words he had prepared stuck in his throat, ultimately turning into a muffled snort. He gave her a complex look, then turned and left, his back view carrying a hint of haste.
Two days later, when Zheng Yu found Fang Ru again, his expression was complicated, and the previous contemptuousness had completely disappeared.
He actually stopped his younger brother because of Fangru's words, and that afternoon, news came from Jingchuan that rocks had rolled down and blocked the official road. If he hadn't stopped them in time, his brother would have been in great danger.
He bowed deeply to Fangru and said, "...Thank you for your guidance, Miss. I will remember this kindness."
Fangru stepped aside to avoid his greeting, her expression indifferent: "Lord Zheng, there's no need for such formalities. I'm not offering my help without expecting anything in return." She looked directly at him and stated her conditions, "I wish to reopen the case of Liu Sui, the leader of the Qingmu Altar of the Baiyang Society, and I need to access all of his case files and interrogation records. I would be grateful if you could grant me this favor."
Zheng Yu's expression changed slightly, and he looked somewhat embarrassed: "Miss, you're a step too late. Liu Sui... he 'committed suicide' in the imperial prison the day before yesterday."
Fang Ruxin's heart sank suddenly; the clue had gone cold again!
Her nails were almost digging into her palms.
Zheng Yu hesitated for a moment, then said, "However... although Liu Sui is dead, the three trusted subordinates he captured with him are still imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice's prison. But..." He paused, then shook his head, "Those three are all tough guys. They endured all kinds of torture but did not reveal a single useful thing. I'm afraid you're just... wasting your time."
Fangru's gaze narrowed slightly; her intuition told her that this matter could not be summed up by the words "waste of time."
She insisted on witnessing the interrogation process firsthand.
Zheng Yu could not refuse, so he had no choice but to instruct his subordinates to do as he was told.
In the cold, dark interrogation room, three prisoners were brought in separately, each covered in wounds. Faced with the guards' routine threats and inducements, they either remained silent or cursed loudly, proving their stubbornness.
However, during the intervals between repeated interrogations, Fangru keenly noticed that one of them, a short and stocky man named Wang Wu, would always have his eyes flicker uncontrollably when he heard the name "Gu Zhou," and would subconsciously lick his chapped lips and curl his fingers unconsciously.
Although he quickly covered it up, that momentary wavering did not escape Fangru's eyes, which were fixed on him.
"I want to ask him myself," Fangru said, pointing at Wang Wu with a resolute tone.
Although Zheng Yu felt it was inappropriate, he remembered the kindness shown to him before and agreed, simply accompanying him from the side.
Fangru did not choose the torture rack, but instead had Wang Wu taken to a relatively clean interrogation room, and even ordered a cup of warm tea to be served to him.
Wang Wu looked at her suspiciously, his bloodshot eyes filled with vigilance.
Fangru didn't rush to ask questions, but chatted with him casually for a few minutes, even mentioning his hometown.
Meanwhile, in the adjacent torture chamber, the "interrogation" of two other prisoners suddenly escalated. The muffled sound of whips striking their genitals, the hissing of branding irons, and the suppressed screams of agony clearly pierced the stone walls, striking Wang Wu's eardrums and nerves.
Wang Wu's hand holding the teacup began to tremble uncontrollably, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
Fangru seized the opportunity, leaned forward, and spoke in a very low voice, yet with a strange, seductive power: "Wang Wu, you are a smart man. Liu Sui has already 'committed suicide,' and there is no way to verify the truth. Who do you think will be next? You risk your life for them, have they ever thought about saving your life? If you are willing to tell the truth, I might plead for your life, or even... let you stay away from this place of trouble."
Another extremely horrific scream suddenly rang out from next door!
Wang Wu shuddered suddenly, and the teacup fell to the ground with a crash and shattered into pieces.
His face was ashen, his mental defenses completely crumbled at that moment, his lips trembled, and he finally managed to croak out, "...I'll talk...I'll tell you everything! Please, have mercy on me!"
Fangru's heart was in her throat as she stared intently at him.
However, Wang Wu's words pierced her hopes like an ice pick: "Gu Zhou... Gu Zhou is indeed a member of the Baiyang Society! It was... it was the society that arranged for him to infiltrate the army! Contacting the Northern Di... it was also an order from above! The Baiyang Society... the Baiyang Society wants to use the power of the Northern Di to overthrow... overthrow this Great Xia dynasty!"
"Impossible!" Fangru exclaimed, her face turning deathly pale. "You're lying!"
Wang Wu, however, grasped at a straw, and kowtowed with tears streaming down his face: "I dare not lie! Every word is true, my lord! Heaven and earth are above and below, if I have uttered even half a falsehood, may I be struck by lightning!"
Zheng Yu, standing to the side, stepped forward with a solemn expression and said in a deep voice, "Miss Fangru, these words... are shocking, but they are indeed his own confession. Coupled with the various corroborating evidence, Gu Zhou's crime of colluding with the enemy is probably... irrefutable. Moreover," he gave Fangru a meaningful look, "this is the result of your own interrogation, not something we obtained through torture or coercion."
The other officials around her echoed her sentiments, their gazes toward Fangru becoming incredibly complex, a mixture of sympathy and a sense of "I knew it."
Fangru stood frozen in place, feeling icy cold all over.
She pried open the witness's mouth with her own hands, only to receive a confession that pushed the person she most wanted to save into an even deeper abyss!
This immense irony and blow almost made her lose her balance.
Is Wang Wu still lying? Or... was the injustice she believed in all a lie from the very beginning?
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