Chapter 95
Wei Luo asked, "What about Shen Yao?"
Liu Heng replied, "Perhaps Master Xu hid it somewhere."
Wei Luo stood up and ordered, "Send someone to inquire immediately. You go yourself."
So Liu Heng led his men to search all morning, but they still couldn't find Shen Yao.
When he returned to the palace, Wei Luo saw that he was disheveled and knew that there was no good outcome, so he said, "Never mind, I will go and ask him myself."
Liu Heng was surprised and quickly stopped him, saying, "Your Highness, you mustn't. On the surface, you have no relationship with Shen Yao whatsoever. What reason do you have to ask Xu Xuan?"
Wei Luo said, "Who said I have no relation to Shen Yao? She's my cousin."
Liu Heng blinked, speechless.
*
When Wei Luo arrived at the Ministry of Justice, Xu Xuan was reviewing case files.
Upon seeing the Crown Prince approaching him, Xu Xuan immediately rose to greet him. Wei Luo, in a hurry, skipped the formalities and went straight to the point, asking, "Where is Chen Yao?"
Xu Xuan was stunned, and asked uncertainly, "Chen Yao?"
“Governor Shen said he lost his daughter and just sent people to the East Palace to ask for her. But Shen Yao is nowhere to be found in the East Palace, isn’t that right, Steward Xu?”
Xu Xuan looked unwell and lowered his eyes, refusing to speak.
Upon seeing this, Wei Luo felt a surge of anger rising within him and gritted his teeth, threatening, "Hand over Shen Yao as soon as possible, or you'll have a hard time explaining to Governor Shen."
Xu Xuan scoffed lightly, raised his eyes and said, "Your Highness is mistaken. As the saying goes, a married daughter is like water spilled from a bowl. I am taking my wife to live elsewhere, so why should my father-in-law ask so many questions?"
Regardless of who it is, Xu Xuan's attitude is very clear: he will not hand it over.
Wei Luo felt like he had kicked a hornet's nest, and his eyelids twitched with hatred. Before he could say anything, Xu Xuan frowned and actually knelt down in front of him.
Wei Luo was shocked and hurriedly asked, "Master Xu, what's going on—"
"Your Majesty, I have committed a grave offense and beg for forgiveness."
Wei Luo: "What crime have you committed?"
Xu Xuan lifted his eyelids, cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I have caused you trouble. I will never hand over Shen Yao. At that time, Governor Shen will definitely use His Majesty to put pressure on me, which may implicate Your Majesty. Therefore, I wish to resign."
Under Wei Luo's shocked gaze, Xu Xuan slowly removed his official hat and placed it on the ground.
Wei Luo heard his own voice trembling, and a chill ran through his body. "Are you serious?"
"Yes, Your Majesty, I have thought it through. I am unable to share the burdens of the emperor above, nor can I understand the suffering of the people below. My abilities are lacking, and I am truly ashamed to continue serving as a judicial official. Please grant me permission, Your Highness."
"I won't allow it."
Wei Luo suddenly flew into a rage, violently pulling Xu Xuan up from the ground and slamming her against the wall. He said hatefully, "You want to take her away, is that it? Running away to a distant place, what a good idea. But have you even asked her if she wants to go with you?"
Xu Xuan was stunned for a moment, then asked with some confusion, "What did Your Highness say?"
I said—
Wei Luo stared into his eyes and suddenly realized that he seemed to have lost his composure due to Xu Xuan's provocation. His heart tightened and he quickly loosened his grip on Xu Xuan's collar.
The two of them put some distance between themselves.
Wei Luo remained silent, while Xu Xuan straightened his clothes. Seeing that Wei Luo's face was very pale, he quickly bent down to pick up his official hat and put it on.
Now, he's once again a good judge for the imperial court.
Wei Luo looked at him, his expression slightly improved, and said awkwardly, "I acted rashly just now, please don't take it to heart, Manager Xu."
"Your subject dares not."
Wei Luo turned her head away, avoiding his gaze, and asked, "So, where exactly is Shen Yao? You still won't tell me?"
Xu Xuan: "I am guilty and cannot tell you."
Wei Luo suddenly laughed and pointed at him, saying, "Xu Xuan, you really have guts."
Having said that, filled with anger, he cursed under his breath and left, leaving Xu Xuan standing there in a daze.
*
When Wei Luo returned to the palace, he was so angry that he smashed every bottle and jar he could find.
Liu Heng followed behind, constantly trying to persuade him, "I've said for a long time that Steward Xu is stubborn, but Your Highness didn't believe me. Now you've met your match."
"Shut up."
Wei Luo's eyes were bloodshot. "What do you mean by 'hard bones'? Has it been tested with the instruments of torture in the imperial prison?"
Liu Heng was taken aback and asked cautiously, "Your Highness is preparing for a criminal trial?"
Wei Luo stared at Liu Heng without saying a word, which Liu Heng took as tacit agreement. He suddenly slapped his forehead and exclaimed, "Your Highness, you mustn't! It's unacceptable to privately interrogate a civil official, whether in the court or under His Majesty's approval. Moreover, you are morally flawed, having taken my wife first."
"Liu Heng—"
Enraged, Wei Luo yelled at him, "Go out and kneel down."
"Your Highness?"
Wei Luo's face was extremely pale. He said, word by word, "Go out and kneel down. Right now, immediately. Do I need to say it again?"
Liu Heng lowered his head in silence and left.
After watching him leave, Wei Luo went back to bed and closed her eyes to rest. She thought lying down would be a chance to relax, but as soon as she closed her eyes, her mind was filled with Shen Yao—her angelic face, her gentle voice, and her sweet scent.
He fell asleep while thinking about it, and when he woke up again, a full moon was hanging high in the sky.
Beneath the full moon, Liu Heng was still kneeling on the ground.
Wei Luo walked over, the moonlight casting an extremely long shadow of him, his handsome figure ethereal and otherworldly.
Liu Heng tilted his head slightly and heard Wei Luo ask, "Do you know you were wrong?"
The same words also came out of Xu Xuan's mouth in the Ministry of Justice prison.
Xu Xuan stood in front of Shen Yao, looking down at the pale-faced girl who refused to eat, his expression cold and indifferent.
Shen Yao looked up at her and said sarcastically, "What's wrong with that?"
Xu Xuan sneered, "You think a hunger strike will work?"
Shen Yao retorted, "Is it useless? Although I am not free now, I can still decide for myself whether to eat and how much to eat."
Xu Xuan said, "That's right, you have a lot of backbone. I underestimated you. You're completely different from when you married me. If you had had this much backbone back then, perhaps I would have treated you differently."
"It's just a pity that if life were only as beautiful as the first encounter, why would the autumn wind bring sorrow to the painted fan?"
Shen Yao smiled sarcastically. "Why are you saying all this, Xu Xuan? Either kill me or release me. What kind of man imprisons me for no reason?"
Xu Xuan smiled faintly, "You're angry. But even when you're angry, you're still beautiful, still the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. Such a beautiful girl is actually my wife..."
Shen Yao coughed a few times, frowned, and interrupted him, "What exactly are you trying to say?"
Xu Xuan glanced at her coldly and said icily, "I want to say, if I can't have you, then I'll kill you."
Shen Yao's pupils suddenly contracted, and she asked incredulously, "Are you crazy?"
Xu Xuan approached her step by step, staring into her eyes, and said earnestly, "I have no relatives left in this world. I am all alone and lonely. So, Shen Yao, even if I die, I will drag you down to hell with me."
As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Yao's eyes suddenly reddened, and large tears rolled down her cheeks.
Good heavens, what kind of madman did she encounter?
In just a few days, he went insane like this. Who is to blame for this?
Shen Yao wiped away her tears and choked out, "You do have family. You still have your mother and Liu Ru. Have you forgotten your beloved Liu Ru?"
Mentioning Liu Ru, Xu Xuan finally showed some emotion. His expression changed drastically, and he lunged at Shen Yao, grabbing her neck with both hands, his eyes bloodshot. "Shut up! How dare you mention her? It's all your fault! If it weren't for you, Liu Ru wouldn't have left me. You're the one who made me like this. You deserve to die..."
He increased the pressure with both hands; the woman's slender neck was now in his grasp, and with just a gentle twist, she would lose her life.
With less and less air flowing into her brain, Shen Yao truly felt life slipping away in that instant.
My head was spinning, my ears were ringing, and the dizziness and seeing stars became a tangible sensation.
Her body's survival instinct prompted her to cry out, "Help!"
In the end, she fainted, whether she could even make a sound or not.
*
When she woke up again, she was coughing violently, and belatedly realized that she had choked on water.
Instead of Xu Xuan's menacing face, Wei Luo greeted her gently, "Ayao, you're awake?"
"Your Highness?"
Shen Yao exclaimed in surprise, her eyes widening in disbelief. Instantly, a wave of grievance washed over her, and tears flowed uncontrollably.
"He tried to kill me, I almost died, and I'll never see you again... cough cough..."
When he got emotional, his breath erratically in his chest, which triggered another bout of coughing and gagging.
Wei Luo quickly put down the bowl, let her lean against him, patted her back to help her catch her breath, and comforted her, "It's alright now, it's all over."
Shen Yao burst into tears, shaking her head repeatedly, "It's not over. He won't let me go. He's a madman. I don't want to see him again."
"Don't be afraid, you won't see him. Xu Xuan is in prison now, you can choose not to see him if you don't want to."
Upon hearing the word "prison," Shen Yao stopped crying, her tearful eyes showing confusion. "Prison? What's he doing there?"
Wei Luo pinched her nose and laughed, "Silly girl, have you forgotten? Yesterday, when he committed the crime, I arrived with my men and caught him in the act, so I detained him on the spot."
"So that's how it is." Shen Yao murmured, "But how did Your Highness find me?"
Wei Luo sighed, "I asked Xu Xuan about your whereabouts before, but he wouldn't tell me, so I sent someone to follow him and that's how I found you."
After he finished speaking, he lowered his head and kissed her forehead, then hugged her tightly in his arms, choking back tears as he said, "I'm sorry, I didn't protect you well. I'm sorry, Yao, you've suffered so much."
Shen Yao had just stopped crying when she heard his words and couldn't help but shed tears again, "That person is a madman. Who can predict the actions of a madman?"
Wei Luo said, "That's right. As a criminal officer, he knowingly broke the law. I will handle this matter impartially, and Xu Xuan will not escape punishment."
Shen Yao looked up and asked, "What punishment will he receive?"
"Remove him from his official position and title, and execute him by hanging."
Shen Yao couldn't help but shudder and asked in a low voice, "So he'll die?"
Wei Luo asked seriously, "Then do you want him to die?"
Shen Yao suddenly lowered her head, shook her head, pondered for a moment, and then said, "I don't know, I guess she wants him dead."
should?
She gave an ambiguous answer, and Wei Luo frowned, wanting to say something, but seeing her pale face, he swallowed his words.
Miao Niang quietly walked in and gave Wei Luo a wink.
Wei Luo understood, so he told Shen Yao to take a nap first, then followed her out and asked, "What is it?"
Miao Niang said, "Master has gone to the palace. Your Highness should go back and see him quickly."
Wei Luo hurriedly asked, "Did Governor Shen say what to do?"
"They said they were apologizing to His Majesty. I guess it's about Xu Xuan, or maybe it's about the divorce. The master has gone to great lengths so that His Highness can win back his beloved as soon as possible."
Wei Luo cursed inwardly, his anger rising, and he snapped, "At a time like this, why are you making things worse?"
He instructed Miao Niang to take good care of Shen Yao, then immediately put on his blindfold and rode his horse toward the palace.
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