Chapter 44: Interrogation: The Dali Temple Shaoqing's Most Skilled Job
Wen Xuechi was silent for a moment.
What's the problem?
"You've said it before, and you've said it again now, that we're on the same page and that we're good friends." Lou Wanqiao continued, "Wen Xuechi, can I also be considered a good friend now?"
He turned to look at her, and their gazes melted in the air, and the spring water in Wen Xuechi's eyes slowly flowed into her eyes.
"...Yes," his words vanished into mist beside his lips and teeth along with a faint sigh, his voice so soft that it was almost inaudible. "As long as you wish, we will always be best friends."
His words sounded thin, and Lou Wanqiao felt inexplicably sad.
"What's wrong?" Lou Wanqiao raised his hand and patted her in a comforting manner.
He leaned on her shoulder and said, "Don't be sad, Yan Gui. I'm fine. Besides being friends, we're also the strongest allies."
Wen Xuechi looked at her for a long while, speechless.
A white bird flew across the sky. Lou Wanqiao calmed down and reached out, only for the bird to land safely on her arm. She tore off a small piece of paper and read it with a solemn expression.
"Li Jin ran away."
…
Inside the Imperial City Prison.
From time to time, the sound of chains rubbing against each other and the hoarse roar of a trapped animal could be heard from the darkness, but Lou Wanqiao seemed not to hear them. He walked into the depths alone, and his figure was gradually swallowed up by the shadows.
A chill pierced my bones, a wisp of cold that seeped right into my very bones. The road ahead grew darker and darker, only occasionally flickering from a torch at the corner, casting a thin, cool glow overhead.
Finally, the black boots stopped in front of a closed iron fence.
Logically speaking, a big figure like Li Lianhan should not be imprisoned here. Even an emperor who has lost power should be imprisoned in the palace.
But who makes her the one who has the final say here?
Logically speaking, a good official should not have his entire family massacred.
Once he was the reason, now she is the reason.
Creak——
The iron door made a teeth-grinding friction sound. She stood in front of the door with a cold expression.
The former emperor has fallen into disgrace. His hands are bound with iron chains, his hair is disheveled and sticks to his cheeks. His gorgeous clothes have not been changed yet, but now they are torn and stained with blood, making him look even more miserable.
"Li Lianhan, I have something to ask you." She spoke in a calm voice, her voice like a stone thrown into a black hole, sinking deep without an echo.
He lowered his head and said nothing, and ignored her.
Lou Wanqiao remained expressionless as he picked up the long whip on the rack and whipped him with his wrist.
Bang!
The man's body trembled slightly, then quickly straightened up. He gritted his teeth and turned his head away sharply. His breathing was not as steady as before.
The once perfect clothes were ruthlessly torn and stained with blood. He closed his eyes and stopped looking at her, but it was enough to hide the humiliation in his eyes.
Oh, now you are not talkative again.
Lou Wanqiao nodded to show his understanding, but the whip in his hand continued to lash him mercilessly again and again.
She used to be the Shaoqing of Dali Temple, and she knew this job best. She could accurately control the strength, angle and frequency, and knew where to whip the person so that it would hurt without damaging the body.
Looking at Li Lianhan's face full of forbearance, Lou Wanqiao's mood inexplicably improved.
The emperor’s wrath is different.
The air was very quiet, with only the sound of the whip tearing the air without rhythm. Lou Wanqiao whipped without mercy, and Li Lianhan's breathing was already disordered.
He hung his head and gasped, uncontrollable groans escaping from his throat.
She stopped what she was doing, her eyes swept across the torn dragon robe, and moved a little closer.
It’s okay, there’s still plenty of time.
"Will you tell me?"
He was silent for a moment, and the air was eerily quiet. After a while, Li Lianhan slowly raised his head. His gloomy phoenix eyes looked at her from his messy black hair, and his tone was a little weak: "...What do you want to ask?"
Lou Wanqiao paused.
What do you want to ask?
She really hasn't thought about it yet.
Seeing that Lou Wanqiao seemed lost in thought, Li Lianhan's eyes once again surged with anger: "Lou Wanqiao! You're going too far!"
"Oh! Now that you mention it, I remember it!" Lou Wanqiao slapped his forehead and suddenly realized something and interrupted him, "This is too much, that's it!"
"……What?"
"The Liu family was impartial back then, so why did you send people to kill them all?"
"Prime Minister Liu originally wanted to take his family and leave the capital, so why did you hold on to them?"
"Li Lianhan, why are you going so far?"
The questions echoed heavily in the air, without any response.
He was speechless, not knowing how to answer.
He shouldn't know, of course he doesn't know.
Lou Wanqiao hadn't expected to get any genuine and sincere answer from him, she just wanted to see how he would respond given his current dire situation.
He used his power to cover up all filth, silencing the good and keeping the wicked at court as his minions. Lou Wanqiao desperately wanted to expose the clumsy disguise behind his power. Don't try to escape, don't try to cover up. If you were no longer the emperor, without those excuses of power to cover up, and faced these heart-wrenching and shameful questions without any way to avoid them—
Will you continue to avoid talking about it in order to appease your meager conscience?
Bang!
The whip fell mercilessly on his torn robe, tearing a bigger hole.
"What were you thinking when you killed your father?"
"He has never treated you unfairly. Even if you hadn't become the crown prince, you wouldn't have fallen on hard times. So why would you kill him?"
The figure of the old emperor suddenly flashed before her eyes.
He was born kind and wise, but he governed the country in an orderly manner. However, as time passed, he gradually became fascinated by the art of making elixirs, recruiting talented people from all over the country to make elixirs. As the prince grew older, the ambitious ones could no longer restrain themselves.
So before he could even refine the elixir of immortality, Li Lianhan took action.
His ambition did not come about overnight, but was slowly corroded over the years.
First, he took the less powerful princes, gradually distanced them from the center of power, and deprived them of the possibility of inheritance. Finally, he killed his father.
At that time, Lou Wanqiao had no ability. He was unable to save his father, unable to save the Liu family, and even more unable to save the emperor.
She could only let the thorn bury deeper and deeper, causing more and more pain. When she had the ability, she would pull it out with her own hands and then stab it into the evil person's heart.
"Why don't you speak, Your Majesty?" Her tone was full of sarcasm. She folded the whip and held it in her hand. Then she pressed the whip against his chin and lifted it up slightly, forcing him to look at her.
Li Lianhan was gasping for breath, and the breath exhaled from between his lips and teeth hit her face, carrying a smell of blood.
Lou Wanqiao straightened his chin and patted his cheek with his other hand, making a soft sound. "Don't want to talk about it? Then I have many tricks up my sleeve. I'm afraid Your Majesty will suffer."
Li Lianhan took a deep breath. Lou Wanqiao had almost beaten him so hard that his pupils lost focus. Now he had to raise his eyes and face her question.
How should he answer such a question?
Is he just like this? Or is this just the way the world is?
Li Lianhan's lips trembled slightly, and his voice was a little shaky. He didn't know if it was because of pain, cold, or hunger. "It's over now. What do you want?"
Lou Wanqiao narrowed his eyes, raised his hand and slapped him.
The strength and speed are just right. There is no disrespect to the emperor, only the pursuit of making oneself comfortable and satisfied.
"Am I interrogating you or are you asking me?" She flicked her wrist. "Answer!"
"Lou Wanqiao!!" Li Lianhan was shaking with rage. He struggled violently, the chains on his body rattling. "If you don't kill me, I'll make you pay back a hundredfold when I get the chance!"
His face was very close, and the anger on his face made his originally handsome face look distorted.
"Open your eyes and look at the present situation first. Who can come to save you?" Lou Wanqiao was not really satisfied with his answer. Although he did not expect him to give any positive answer, he was simply hopeless for not wanting to face the situation and avoid talking about it at this point.
That's the case.
She shook her head, pulled her hand back, and put it behind her back: "To be honest, you probably won't have a future."
Under Li Lianhan's puzzled gaze, she drew out the Embroidered Spring Knife.
"You're getting impatient again, Your Majesty. Let's choose. Do you want a whip or a knife? If you don't like either, I have poisoned wine and white silk here. I can give you a decent punishment."
Li Lianhan's eyes widened immediately: "I am the Son of Heaven! How dare you do this!"
"Lou Wanqiao, I am the emperor after all. You will definitely regret killing me in a place like this!"
"Oh, then answer the last question properly, and maybe I'll let you go."
"...I want supreme power, that's all. They're all blocking my way, preventing me from moving forward. I have no choice but to eliminate them...! Lou Wanqiao!! I know what kind of person you are. I can give you glory, power, and countless wealth, as long as you want. You can become the prime minister, second only to the emperor, and I can also give you..."
"Hypocrisy!" She really couldn't face Li Lianhan like this. Whenever she thought about such a person ruling Dali for several years, innocent people died for various reasons, and corrupt officials colluded with local religious followers, the fire in her heart burned more and more.
Lou Wanqiao believed that if it wasn't her, someone else would have stepped forward. However, it was a difficult and lengthy process, requiring numerous difficulties and a near-death experience.
"Sorry, I'm not interested in these things. The only thing that can arouse my interest now is probably——"
She sighed softly and put away the embroidered spring knife in her hand.
There's no need to choose a too dignified way for him to die, right? I don't want to dirty this knife either.
She simply wrapped the iron chain around his neck and tightened it, slowly applying force under Li Lianhan's incredulous gaze.
“Cough, cough cough…”
He was having trouble breathing, his face slowly turning red, his lips turning pale, and he could no longer utter a sound. The chains made noises from his struggles, but Lou Wanqiao turned a deaf ear to them, simply increasing the strength of his grip.
At that moment, panic and despair filled Li Lianhan's eyes.
She really wanted to kill him here!!
She really... can do whatever she wants here!
After realizing this thought, the fear in his heart was infinitely magnified, but he could not speak. No matter whether he used threats, inducements, or curses and pleas for mercy, they were all forced back into his stomach by the coldness on his neck.
The feeling of suffocation was overwhelming, and the burning pain burned through his lungs. The once cold and arrogant emperor trembled and could only watch helplessly as his life force was slowly drained away.
“Huh…”
A desperate roar came from his throat, and the light in his eyes dimmed little by little.
Lou Wanqiao admired his expression, but his actions were ruthless.
She said nothing, and the surroundings were very quiet, so quiet that only the sound of Li Lianhan struggling could be heard.
Just like pouring water into an empty bowl, the water level slowly rises and fills up until at some point it breaks through the critical value.
Boom! !
The exploded black mud brushed against the side of her face, like a sharp blade cutting a tiny wound on the side of her face.
Lou Wanqiao dodged very quickly, but the explosions coming from behind her continued one after another. The large-scale attack made it impossible for her to dodge. Her clothes were torn in several places, and she was blown away by the airflow coming from behind.
Boom——!!
There was a buzzing sound in my ears, and I couldn't hear clearly. My eyes seemed to be shaking, and I wasn't sure if it was dizziness or an earthquake.
She fell against the wall, and the last thing she saw was several figures coming over and lifting the man on the shelf.
…
My throat is very dry and I really want to drink water.
Lou Wanqiao wanted to reach out his hand, but his wrist stopped in mid-air.
She opened her eyes and her gaze fell on the hemp rope wrapped around her wrists.
Um?
"Finally woke up, Lou Wanqiao."
A familiar voice came from above her head. She looked and saw the "missing" Li Jin.
Li Jin ran away? That's it.
Her expression remained unchanged as she turned her head back. Her voice was extremely hoarse as she spoke: "It seems you can't keep your composure very well either."
Li Jin frowned, his beautiful peach blossom eyes filled with vigilance: "What do you mean?"
"It must have been hard to get out after all the effort, how come you're back so soon?"
"How dare you say that!" Li Jin clenched his fists. "If you hadn't treated my brother like that, how could I... how could he... how could he..."
Oh, it seems that Li Lianhan’s condition is not much better.
Lou Wanqiao thought so in his heart, and deliberately pressed down the corners of his lips: "Li Jin, do you know what you are doing now?"
"Regicide is a grave crime, Lou Wanqiao, you are the most vicious and evil person!"
She pursed her lips and didn't respond.
Now Li Jin and her can no longer communicate. She harmed Li Lianhan like that. Li Jin did not kill her immediately because he must have a backup plan, or he was following someone else's orders.
Thinking of this, Lou Wanqiao's eyes became more thoughtful.
"Wait," Li Jin felt a bad premonition inexplicably surge in his heart. He grabbed Lou Wanqiao's collar with one hand and lifted her up. "What did you mean by that just now? What else do you know!"
It's terrible, this person is terrible...
"You haven't degenerated so much that you can't understand human language, have you?" Lou Wanqiao smiled a chilling smile that he was all too familiar with. "If not, how could I meet you so soon, Your Highness Prince Yun?"
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