Xie Yin’s voice turned shrill as he clutched Cheng Wang’s shoulders, shaking him violently, desperate for him to say that Tang Ning and Xiao Yan were lying, that they were spouting nonsense.
But Cheng Wang remained silent, his lips tightly pressed together, his face ashen.
"You lied to me… all of you lied to me…"
Xie Yin’s eyes turned bloodshot, his lips quivering as his face contorted in fury and despair. "I am Mother’s son! I am of Rong and Xie blood! I am a royal descendant, the rightful heir of Cheng Wang’s estate… You cannot deceive me!"
"With you behaving like this, do you think anyone needs to lie to you?" Tang Ning sneered from outside the cell. "Look at yourself—what part of you resembles my aunt in the slightest?"
She laughed coldly. "You’re shameless, heartless, and devoid of integrity. You’ve inherited every bit of Xie Tianyu’s selfishness and malice. He brought you back to Cheng Wang’s estate because he recognized the baseness in your bones. A thankless wretch like you is unworthy of being called my aunt’s son."
"Song! Tang! Ning!"
Xie Yin lunged at the iron bars of the cell, gripping them tightly. The force rattled the bars, sending an eerie clanging echo through the prison that was chilling in the night.
But Tang Ning, standing outside, was unmoved. Her expression remained calm as she watched his outburst, the mockery in her eyes blatant and unhidden.
"What’s wrong? Did I hit a nerve?" Tang Ning’s tone was laced with derision. "Last night, in Cheng Wang’s residence, what did you say to my aunt when begging her to save you?"
"You said Xie Tianyu tricked you, that you never intended to harm her. You claimed you had no idea about Cheng Wang’s schemes to harm her, that you bore no ill will. But what did you just say?"
"You want to keep your title as heir, to protect your wealth and status. Despite knowing the glaring holes in Xie Tianyu’s story, you’d rather believe his lies."
Tang Ning’s gaze turned sharp as she stared at Xie Yin, who clung to the bars, his face twisted with desperation.
"Before, I thought you were just stupid, an ignorant boy who didn’t know any better. But now I see it clearly—you’re selfish and malicious. You wanted to use my aunt to escape this prison, only to turn on her once you were free. Despite knowing her character, you had no hesitation in betraying the woman who loved and cared for you for over a decade. You let her be slandered and her name tarnished."
"Xie Yin, what right do you have to call her your mother?"
Xie Yin’s contorted face seemed to freeze, his expression gradually stiffening. "I didn’t… I’m not… It was Father who said Mother was involved with Gu Helian. He told me she betrayed us. I just… didn’t want them to fight…"
He gripped the bars, his eyes red and filled with pleading. "Tang Ning, please believe me… I’m your cousin. We grew up together. You have to believe me…"
Tang Ning let out a cold laugh, her gaze filled with disgust. "It’s precisely because we grew up together that I know how hateful you truly are. I wouldn’t dare consider someone like you my cousin."
As Xie Yin opened his mouth to argue further, Tang Ning’s expression turned icy. "You don’t need to explain anything to me. Soon, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to explain yourself. I just hope that when you’re under torture, you and Xie Tianyu will maintain this touching father-son bond."
Xie Yin swayed where he stood, his face pale with disbelief as he stared at the woman just a few steps away.
This was the same girl who had once trailed after him like a shadow, calling him "Cousin" with a smile. But now, though her face was unchanged, her almond-shaped eyes were devoid of warmth, cold as a deep, dark well.
"Tang Ning…" Xie Yin’s voice trembled, but before he could say more, Xiao Yan’s indifferent gaze cut through him.
Xiao Yan turned to Tang Ning. "There’s no need to waste your words on them. With Madam Jiang’s testimony, neither Xie Yin nor Cheng Wang can implicate the Rong family. As for the rest, the torture chamber will do its work. Once they’re in the Judicial Office, no one leaves with their secrets intact."
"Changlang." Xiao Yan’s voice called out, and Changlang entered with several guards in tow.
Cheng Wang’s expression shifted dramatically. "Xiao Yan, I’m a royal prince. You can’t torture me—"
"A royal prince accused of treason?" Xiao Yan’s smirk was faint but cutting. "You’re not seriously going to tell me that the three hundred Thunder Crossbows and the siege ladders found in your residence were part of a collection, are you?"
"The Emperor has entrusted me with handling your treason case swiftly. You know what that means, don’t you?"
Cheng Wang’s face turned deathly pale.
The Emperor’s orders left no room for negotiation. Cheng Wang was nothing more than a prisoner accused of treason, and Xiao Yan had carte blanche to extract the truth, by any means necessary.
The cell door creaked open, and guards dragged the two prisoners toward the exit.
Xie Yin clutched the bars, shouting desperately, "Tang Ning! Spare me—"
Before he could finish, Changlang kicked him in the back of the knee, sending him crashing into the bars. As he cried out in pain, the guards seized him, twisting his arm until he screamed, before dragging him out of the cell.
Cheng Wang, seeing the guards approaching him, panicked and shouted, "Tang Ning, don’t you want to know where Rong Yue’s child is?"
"What did you say?" Tang Ning’s face changed.
"I said, don’t you want to know where Rong Yue’s child is?"
Cheng Wang clung to the bars, forcing himself to stay calm as he looked at the two outside. "I know Rong Yue cares deeply. Even if she doesn’t care about me or Xie Yin, she would care about her own flesh and blood. That child is part of the Rong family too."
His voice turned hoarse. "If you let me go… let me leave here…"
Cheng Wang hesitated, realizing escape was impossible. He quickly revised his words.
"No, you don’t need to let me go. Just don’t kill me. Possessing military contraband is a grave crime, but with the royal family’s protection, my life can be spared. Exile—I’ll accept exile. Just let me live, and I’ll tell you where the child is. I’ll reunite Rong Yue with her son."
Tang Ning’s palms grew cold. "You’re saying… he’s still alive?"
"Of course. I placed him somewhere safe. After all, he’s my bloodline too…" Cheng Wang’s words made Tang Ning’s expression darken.
She hadn’t expected that the child was still alive, and in Xie Tianyu’s hands no less. Her aunt might be able to let go of Xie Yin, but not her biological son. He was the child she had risked her life to bring into the world, a child she had never even seen.
"Tang Ning," Cheng Wang pressed on, "Rong Yue treats you like her own. She left Cheng Wang’s residence and turned against me for your sake. You wouldn’t want to see her upset, would you?"
"Let me live, and I’ll hand over the child."
For a moment, Tang Ning hesitated, Cheng Wang’s words stirring her heart. Just as she was about to speak, Xiao Yan placed a firm hand on her shoulder.
"Xie Tianyu, do you really think anyone who enters the Judicial Office can keep secrets?" Xiao Yan’s icy gaze pierced Cheng Wang, whose confidence wavered.
"Even if the child is alive, you have no leverage to negotiate. I have plenty of ways to make you talk."
"Take him to the Judicial Office," Xiao Yan ordered coldly. "Make sure they treat him well."
Cheng Wang’s face drained of color as the guards dragged him away.
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You can read ahead to chapterr 234 (100+ extra chapters) here
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