Chapter 55: Prisoners
Deep in the prison, the cold and damp air was stagnant, with only the occasional crackling sound of lit torches illuminating the twisting and dancing shadows on the stone walls.
Wen Youqing sat on a simple wooden bed, wearing a relatively thick prison uniform, and the heavy shackles on his wrists had been temporarily removed.
This cell had obviously been specially arranged. It was much cleaner than ordinary cells, the straw was freshly replaced, and there was even a small table and an oil lamp.
Wen Youqing curled up the corners of her lips into a bitter smile. She understood that Cui Junji was performing a difficult play - a play for the Wang family, for the emperor, and for all the civil and military officials in the court.
"Wen Youqing, bring him in for interrogation!" The jailer's voice echoed in the corridor, and the iron door clanged open.
She straightened her clothes and calmly followed the jailer out of the cell. This was her first time being "arraigned," and she wondered what Lu Zhixue would say.
In the interrogation room, Lu Zhixue sat alone at his desk, his expression stern. After dismissing his attendants, the sternness on his face suddenly softened slightly.
"Are you adapting to prison?" he asked in a very low voice.
"It's better than I expected. Thank you, Lord Lu, for your care." Wen Youqing nodded slightly.
Lu Zhixue pulled a small package from his sleeve and pushed it in front of her. "The Wang family is relentless. Every day in the court, censors accuse you of 'arrogant arson, provoking vendettas, and endangering officials' families,' demanding severe punishment. Although His Majesty hasn't expressed his opinion, he has inquired about this matter many times."
This attitude was really strange. Wen Youqing opened the paper package and found a small box of ointment inside, which was obviously used for the scar on her arm that had begun to heal.
"Why is Lord Lu telling me this?" She analyzed calmly, twisting the ointment lightly with her fingertips, sniffing it to identify the ingredients - it was no different from what she used every day, so it should be non-toxic.
Lu Zhixue looked at her quietly. "Cui Junji is openly trying to punish you, but he's secretly collecting all the illegal activities of the Wang family over the years, from spice formulas to land transactions. Even more troublesome is that the Wang family has requested that you be handed over to the Ministry of Justice for trial."
Wen Youqing looked up suddenly. If she were handed over to Cui Junji or the Dali Temple, she wouldn't die for the time being. But if she were sent to the Ministry of Justice, where the Wang family's influence was even deeper, she would be doomed.
Lu Zhixue unconsciously stroked the gavel on the table with his right hand, a habit he used when deep in thought. "I refuse on the grounds that the case has not yet been fully investigated. At the same time, I am also looking for evidence against the Wang family."
"What do you mean?" Wen Youqing frowned, not understanding this "honest official" who had previously destroyed all her evidence.
He paused for a moment, then lowered his voice, "You can't defeat the aristocratic families. Lord Shen and I were classmates. I can't protect him, but at least I can protect you."
For a moment, a glimmer of hope flashed in Wen Youqing's eyes. It wasn't the joy of seeing a companion, but the excitement of seeing someone who could be used. "It doesn't matter whether I live or die, as long as you can bring down the aristocratic families headed by the Wang family..."
"Mrs. Shen, don't you understand what I'm saying?" Lu Zhixue suddenly raised his voice. "You can't defeat the Shijia! You can't defeat them even if you die! They are not a surname or a family, they are an organization with hereditary privileges. No matter what their surname is, they will stick together, take root, and reproduce from generation to generation!"
"Is this why you didn't even dare to produce evidence in the first place?" Wen Youqu roared back without showing any weakness. "We'll know whether it's useful or not only after we do it!"
"It's a meaningless sacrifice, what's the point! Is it meant to move yourselves?" Lu Zhixue growled like a beast, "Who remembers Shen Zijie now? If he can't kill him with one blow, he can only be killed."
With the facts before his eyes, Wen Youqing slowly calmed down and raised his hand in a gesture of invitation, "Go ahead."
"You must now stay in prison at ease. This is the safest place right now. To the outside world, I will continue to be harsh and may even use torture."
Wen Youqing understood: "I understand. You have to act well."
"I'm sorry to have wronged you." Lu Zhixue looked at her, and suddenly remembered something, his eyes complicated. "I have assigned more people to guard you, and I have people in the prison too. They will ensure your safety. If there is anything urgent, you can pass on the message through Old Yu who delivered the meal. And... how can you be sure that Cui Junji will definitely help you?"
"I'm not sure, but I know he wants the Cui family to stand above all other aristocratic families." Wen Youqing looked directly at Lu Zhixue with a calm gaze. Even a family-less guy like him could see that Cui Junji treated him differently. "It's a matter of mutual interest. He'll do it with or without me."
After the brief meeting, Wen Youqing was taken back to the cell. She knew Cui Junji was walking a dangerous tightrope. If he wasn't careful, not only would he fail to save her, but he and the Cui family would be doomed. But she actually hoped for that, dragging the Wang family and the Cui family down with them, into eternal damnation.
---
It was late at night in the study of Cui Mansion.
Cui Junji sat alone at his desk, brow furrowed. Case files and documents lay spread out on the table, and the tea to his right had long since gone cold. His slender fingers tapped the tabletop unconsciously, his mind racing.
The Wang family's offensive was more intense than expected. After the court meeting today, Wang Ruoti deliberately "ran into" him at Suzaku Gate, his words filled with questions—"I heard that your wife was also frightened at the restaurant that day, and Lord Cui wanted to severely punish Madam Shen to vent your wife's anger. What a loving couple! It's really enviable."
This is both a warning and a temptation.
What's even more troublesome is that although the emperor has not made a clear statement, he suddenly asked about where Wen Youqing was imprisoned today.
"Miss Wang, I can understand that you envy me. If I remember correctly, you should be twenty-one years old. Are you still staying in the Cui Mansion?" Cui Junji said tactfully.
Wang Ruoti didn't feel embarrassed and simply said, "Master Cui is a wise man. As long as I'm here, the Cui and Wang families will always be one family. If I leave, there will be no room for maneuver."
"Master and I will always be a family. Why do you say that, Miss Wang?" Cui Junji pretended to be stupid.
"That would be great. Uncle wants to personally interrogate Madam Shen, and I hope you can assist me." Without waiting for Cui Junji's response, Wang Ruoti got on the carriage and said with a smile, "Madam Shen has been suffering from nightmares these past few days. I need to buy some fruits and herbs to help her sleep, so I won't bother you anymore."
Thinking of this, Cui Junji rubbed his solar plexus and felt tired.
He spread out his pen and paper and began to write a memorial. It had to respond to the impeachment, point out that the Dali Temple had hastily tried Wen Youqing's case, that the whole memorial was unreasonable and motivated by selfish desires, and that it also had to insinuate the Wang family.
This was a delicate task, requiring careful consideration of every word. He paused and wrote, occasionally crumpling up the paper and throwing it away.
"Husband, aren't you resting yet?" Li Wenqin's gentle voice came from outside the door.
Cui Junji was startled and subconsciously covered the memorial he was writing with other documents: "It will be done soon, Qin'er, go to sleep first."
After the guards outside got permission, Li Wenqin pushed the door open and walked in, holding a bowl of hot soup. "I saw that the light in the study was still on, so I made some ginseng soup for you. No matter how busy you are on official business, you must take care of your health."
She placed the bowl of soup on the table, her eyes casually sweeping over the crumpled paper balls. Cui Junji was always calm and composed, rarely so agitated.
"Are you worried about Mrs. Shen's case?" Li Wenqin asked softly.
Cui Junji took the bowl of soup and forced a smile: "Yes, this case involves a lot of people, and it's not easy to handle because it has attracted attention from both the government and the public."
Li Wenqin watched him, keenly aware of the flicker in her husband's eyes. She recalled that day in the restaurant when Wen Youqing had used her to shield him from a knife; she recalled how Cui Junji had been frequently staying overnight in the study these past few days, his moods clearly fluctuating.
An inexplicable uneasiness spread in her heart.
“That Madam Shen,” she hesitated, and finally tried to test it with kind words, “Although her behavior is reckless, she does not seem to be a bad person.”
Cui Junji naturally continued, "The case is complicated and has yet to be concluded. Qin'er, don't worry too much about it. Just heal your wound first."
Li Wenqin said no more and quietly cleared the soup bowl. Her eyes once again swept across the corner of the word "wen" that was faintly visible under the paper balls.
"Then my husband should go to bed early." She said softly and left the study.
Walking along the corridor, Li Wenqin's heart remained restless. After five years of marriage, she knew Cui Junji's character well. He always kept his public and private lives separate, and had never been so emotionally swayed by a case. Furthermore, Wen Youqing was indeed a formidable woman with exceptional beauty and abilities.
A terrible thought suddenly popped into her mind: Could it be that her husband has other thoughts about Mrs. Shen?
She was shocked by her own thoughts and quickly shook her head to try to dispel this ridiculous guess.
However, no matter how much she denied it, the past came crashing down on her like snowflakes. When they first met, she felt inexplicable hostility towards Wen Youqing and was eager to label Cui Junji with her own label; when she was about to give birth to her second child, Cui Junji abandoned them and rushed thousands of miles to Xunyang; when he returned from Xunyang, his left hand was almost half burned...
The more she thought about it, the more frightened she became.
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