Tang Ning stood outside the prison door for a long time, watching King Cheng, who was curled up in the corner, trembling as if he were driven insane by fear. But in her heart, it wasn't as satisfying as she had expected. No matter how much this man suffered, it could never compare to the twenty years her aunt had been deceived. She withdrew her gaze and softly asked, “Will he die?”
“Not for now,” Xiao Yan lowered his head and said, “I still need to keep King Cheng alive to catch a big fish.”
Tang Ning vaguely guessed what he was planning and asked, “What about afterward?”
“Afterward, it depends on the emperor’s reward or punishment,” Xiao Yan replied, “He colluded with the Ministry of War and is suspected of treason. According to the law, he shouldn’t survive. However, since his rebellion wasn’t carried out and was intercepted in advance, if he becomes a cripple after being tortured, there is still a possibility that the emperor might let him go.”
He looked at Tang Ning and asked, “What, don’t you want him to die?”
Tang Ning gave a faint “mm” sound. “If he just dies like that, it’s too easy for him.”
“He deceived my aunt for many years, caused the Gu family to be wronged, and even my grandfather died without knowing the truth. A person like him doesn’t deserve a quick death. I want him to live a life worse than anyone else, to watch his long-awaited plans fall apart, to see the people he didn’t cherish rise above him, while he’s left in the dirt.”
Xie Tianyu never loved his aunt, and he wouldn’t regret losing her in the future. However, if King Cheng stayed alive and saw all his years of scheming come to nothing, watched his “loved ones” treat him as a mere pawn, and saw that the devotion he thought he had given was all a joke, it would be worse than death for him.
Tang Ning spoke softly, “I want to ask Brother to protect his life well, let him live a long life, so he can see his retribution with his own eyes.”
Xiao Yan nodded. “Alright.”
Tang Ning turned back to look at the dimly lit prison, where King Cheng was still trembling in the corner. She glanced at the things on the ground and said softly, “Brother, have someone bring that child back.”
Xiao Yan said, “What for? I see King Cheng quite likes him. Let them enjoy their father-son bond in the prison.”
Seeing her confusion, he lowered his voice: “Come with me.”
Tang Ning didn’t know what Xiao Yan intended, but she followed him out of the prison, feeling confused.
When they reached the outer room, she saw Jin Yun holding a box. At a glance, she recognized the redwood brocade box as the one she had taken back from Doctor Sun.
“Brother, he…” Tang Ning widened her eyes.
Xiao Yan glanced at the box and said, “After all, he’s your aunt’s son. Even though his birth father is detestable, this bloodline cannot be severed. Your aunt may not be indifferent to him. If she finds out what you’ve done with the child, she might not harbor any resentment, but she will likely blame you for acting on your own, which could cause a rift between you two.”
“But what about what was inside just now?”
She clearly saw what was in the box...
“It’s just a little trick made by my subordinates, mixed with some pig and sheep’s blood. It’s enough to scare people.”
That thing wouldn’t withstand close inspection, especially by someone who had seen death. With the smell of blood, they would easily tell whether it was real or fake. Moreover, a stillborn child of four months would not have such a clear appearance; its features weren’t even fully formed.
Unfortunately, King Cheng had already been tortured into a confused state, and the dungeon was nearly pitch dark. When he saw what appeared to be a “fetus” in the box, he was so frightened that his soul was shaken, with no energy left to discern the truth.
Seeing the astonished expression on the young girl’s face, Xiao Yan couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright, King Cheng wouldn’t dare touch that thing. Let them enjoy their earthly pleasures for now. As for this…”
He pointed to the box. “Wait for me here. I’ll give some instructions, then we’ll go find a place to bury him.”
Xiao Yan habitually reached out to ruffle Tang Ning’s hair. “You didn’t harm him. Let him rest in peace, and in the next life, may he be born into a good family. So, don’t feel guilty.”
Tang Ning blankly covered her forehead, watching Xiao Yan turn to go to the other side.
When he faced Cang Lang and the others, the man who had just been speaking gently had now withdrawn all warmth. His long robe in dark blue outlined his cold and slender form, and his side profile looked sharp and fierce.
He spoke in a low voice, and as Tang Ning looked at his back, she couldn’t help but tightly grip the sachet in her sleeve.
She should distance herself from him...
Just like with the Fu family, if she had no intention, she should have decisively rejected him, letting her brother give up early. Even like how she handled Fu Laiqing, she should have found a way to reject his feelings and slowly distanced herself, coldly treating a relationship that shouldn’t exist.
But...
Tang Ning couldn’t help but keep looking at Xiao Yan, standing in the intersection of light and shadow. Her fingers traced the begonia flower pattern on the sachet, her lips biting down lightly.
Brother Xiao Yan was different from Fu Laiqing. Fu Laiqing was the legitimate son of the Fu family, the beloved grandson of Lord Cao. His family background was noble, and even if she rejected him, he could easily find a better match. He could quickly recover from any embarrassment.
But Xiao Yan was different. He already had a flaw, and for years he had been despised by others, everyone calling him a treacherous, eunuch-like figure. No one wanted to associate with him, and everyone treated him as a threat, eager to isolate him atop a mountain.
He never directly expressed his feelings to her, nor did he ever offend her. Even when he inadvertently let something slip earlier, he quickly swallowed it back.
He had reservations about her.
If she were to coldly distance herself, what would her brother think? He might think she despised his flaws and loathed his status.
At that point, his humiliation would be a hundred, a thousand times worse than Fu Laiqing’s.
Tang Ning couldn’t bear it, and she didn’t want that.
...
Xiao Yan sensed that someone was watching him from behind. He turned to look at the small begonia tree quietly waiting for him in the courtyard, his eyes softening as he smiled faintly.
When he turned back to speak to Cang Lang, there was still a hint of warmth in his eyes.
“Keep an eye on King Cheng. Don’t let him commit suicide. When we interrogate Hou Rui and Gong Jinghao later, don’t torture them. Just ask them basic questions.”
He paused before continuing, “Remember to subtly reveal the confession made by King Cheng to them.”
Cang Lang paused for a moment. “But didn’t the Commander just deceive King Cheng? If Hou Rui and the others ‘collude’ with King Cheng, doesn’t that mean we’re confirming that other members of the Lu family are involved?”
What about Empress Lu?
Wasn’t their goal the empress?
Xiao Yan’s expression remained indifferent. “Exactly. We want to make it seem like it’s true, then send their confessions to the emperor and the empress.”
Earlier, when he had sent someone to probe Empress Lu, she hadn’t reacted at all. It seemed like she didn’t care about King Cheng’s life or death, and wasn’t afraid that he would reveal anything. After interrogating King Cheng today, seeing that he still avoided implicating the Lu family even under heavy torture, Xiao Yan realized that he might actually be holding something over the empress.
He could certainly torture King Cheng into speaking, but regardless of whether what King Cheng said was true, once the confession was presented to Emperor An, neither the empress nor the crown prince would admit to their affair. Emperor An would certainly be enraged and want to interrogate the matter himself, at which point the truth would likely come out.
King Cheng wasn’t a fool—he was cunning and malicious. If he turned on them in front of the emperor and claimed that he was tortured and forced to implicate the empress, it could not only clear the Lu family’s name, but also put Xiao Yan in an irrecoverable position.
Rather than taking such a risk, it was better to use King Cheng as bait to catch a big fish.
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You can read ahead to chapterr 234 (100+ extra chapters) here
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