Chapter 65 Part 2

Instinctively, he scooted backward on limp limbs. After a few steps, his back hit the icy wall. It was terrifyingly dark; he couldn’t see anything and had no idea what time it was. One agonized scream after another sent his soul flying in terror, leaving him shuddering now and then.

The darkness amplified his fear, driving him to speculate endlessly about his fate. He dreaded dying silently in the Imperial Prison, but he feared even more that they would use those legendary torture instruments from the tales—devices that could make a man beg for death without granting it—to force him to confess to fabricated crimes.

Yin’er…

Yin’er…

If the heavens had any eyes, let them open and see. Don’t let these villains escape justice!

Wang Mingxuan murmured his daughter’s name in his heart, sinking into utter despair with no one to turn to. He had lived his entire life cautiously and prudently, always the honest sort no matter where he went. He had never imagined he’d end up in the Imperial Prison one day, let alone dared to hope he might ever leave it.

He knew exactly what this place was, and he understood he might endure inhuman tortures. Yet the horrific image of his daughter’s corpse gnawed at his heart like a sharpened blade without cease, igniting a spark of defiant courage within him.

He steeled himself: no matter what torments they inflicted, he would never confess. Even in death, he would make Prince Rui pay for his crimes.

Amid the screams from the cell next door, he drifted in and out of fitful sleep. Whenever his eyes snapped open, only darkness greeted him; whenever he slipped into dreams, they were filled with visions of his own tortured form. No one tended to him, no one cared. Huddled in the icy corner, he shivered from cold and hunger, oblivious to how much time had passed outside.

Just as he began to think he might starve to death here unnoticed, a flicker of candlelight caught the corner of his eye.

He didn’t know where he found the strength, but by the time he realized it, he had lunged to the iron bars and bellowed, “Let me out!”

Only after the shout did he realize how feeble his voice sounded.

The newcomer had clearly heard him, though. The candle flame drew steadily closer until it was just a step away, and in its faint glow, Wang Mingxuan finally made out the man’s face.

He was an extraordinarily handsome man, broad-shouldered with long arms, holding a dim lantern aloft. A two-finger-wide headband bound his forehead, lending him a stern, imposing air that radiated pressure.

Though Wang Mingxuan knew Prince Rui had taken a male consort, he had never laid eyes on Gu Lianzhao and thus failed to recognize the North Pacification Commander.

He stared warily into Gu Lianzhao’s eyes, his voice trembling as he demanded, “Who ordered you to arrest me? Was it Prince Rui? What do you want? Are you going to kill me? Are you going to torture me until I break? Let me tell you—impossible! I’d rather die than…”

“Shh.” Gu Lianzhao raised a finger to his lips. “Lord Wang, it’s not convenient to speak loudly here. Please stay quiet and hear me out.”

This was the Imperial Prison, a place that had never known reason or mercy. Wang Mingxuan knew that even if he screamed at the top of his lungs, now that he was inside, he was at their mercy. Yet Gu Lianzhao’s soft, pleasant voice sparked a glimmer of hope in him.

Without thinking, he clamped his mouth shut and gave a small nod.

Gu Lianzhao lifted the lantern higher so Wang Mingxuan could see his face more clearly. With earnest eyes, he said, “Lord Wang, do you realize someone wants you dead?”

A chill ran through Wang Mingxuan. He blurted out, “I know! I—”

He caught himself after the first three words, remembering the warning, and lowered his voice, grinding his teeth as he spat, “They want to silence me! They want no witnesses left alive! They want to wait until I’m dead, then quietly bury the whole affair! Isn’t that right?”

Gu Lianzhao’s eyes flashed with approval. “Precisely, Lord Wang. But you’ve only guessed half of it.”

He didn’t elaborate which half, continuing instead, “Those people are dead set on taking your life, but rest assured—you have backing. Everything has been arranged. No one will touch you.”

At those words, joy surged through Wang Mingxuan like a lifeline from desperation, his legs buckling beneath him. Now, gazing at Gu Lianzhao’s face, he seemed like a god descended from the heavens.

Gratitude and sorrow mingled in his eyes as he looked at Gu Lianzhao. “To get someone in the Imperial Prison to look after me… I don’t know… I just don’t know…” how much my father must have paid for this.

Gu Lianzhao offered a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. I didn’t take their silver. It’s just repayment for a past favor. That said, this isn’t a place where my word is absolute. I can guarantee they won’t harm you, but I can’t secure any special treatment. Rest easy, though—people outside are working tirelessly on this. The truth will come to light for all to see. You’ll just have to endure staying here a while longer.”

Wang Mingxuan opened his mouth to thank him, but Gu Lianzhao went on, “You’re the one who knows the full story. To uncover the truth, we’ll need your cooperation.”

Wang Mingxuan nodded at once. “Tell me. Whatever it is.”

He trusted Gu Lianzhao so readily not out of stupidity. In a place like this, he was a fish on the cutting board, helpless against the knife. There was no reason for the executioner to bother with theatrics before the kill.

Besides, everything he said rang true. Even on the witness stand, Wang Mingxuan’s account would be the same. With a clear conscience, his words carried all the more conviction.

Gu Lianzhao slowly furrowed his brow, his face shadowed with concern in the lantern’s glow. Wang Mingxuan’s heart clenched; he held his breath, waiting.

“Though you’ve delivered the letters and jade artifacts to Lord Bai, you saw how it started—he kept insisting the ‘seduction and rape’ was mere ‘illicit affair,’ showing clear bias. What if he destroys the evidence?”

The first part struck right at Wang Mingxuan’s deepest worry.

From the incident to now, even his own father had advised him: that was Prince Rui, personally enfeoffed by the Late Emperor and the Emperor’s closest brother. It was just one Yin Jie’er—what was the point of ruining himself over a girl who’d marry out someday? Everyone urged him to back down—even Prefect Bai showed favoritism. Only Gu Lianzhao stood firmly on his side, insisting it was seduction and rape.

Tears welled in Wang Mingxuan’s eyes. He took a deep breath. “He can’t destroy it all! I kept part of the remains; I copied the dates and locations of their trysts from the letters; and I held back some of the jade artifacts. These are crucial, so forgive me—I can’t tell you where they’re hidden.”

Gu Lianzhao had heard what he wanted. He nodded generously. “That puts my mind at ease, Lord Wang. First, I feared the evidence destroyed; second, I worried it might be swapped out. Having backups is wise, and your caution is commendable. You shouldn’t tell me—or trust anyone.”

The word “swapped” startled Wang Mingxuan. He had only considered destruction, not that Prefect Bai might help Prince Rui fabricate counter-evidence.

But it didn’t matter—fake or destroyed, he still had the physical proof.

Gu Lianzhao noted every shift in his expression. Having gotten his answers, he pressed on no further. “I just came to pass the word so you can rest easy here. Don’t let the prison guards scare you into confessing what isn’t yours. With that said, I’ll take my leave. Take care of yourself and wait for the day justice dawns.”

Seeing such consideration everywhere, Wang Mingxuan’s grief overwhelmed him. He reached trembling fingers through the narrow bars, hooking Gu Lianzhao’s sleeve. The other man didn’t pull away, and Wang Mingxuan broke into sobs. “You must… you must give my daughter justice…”

Even now, his mind fixated only on “daughter” and “justice.” Such deep obsession explained why he had been chosen. Without love for his daughter fierce enough to stake his life, he would likely have yielded the moment he heard Prince Rui’s name.

In this world, many sacrificed all for sons, but fathers who cherished daughters like their own lives? In all these years, Gu Lianzhao had seen only Wang Mingxuan.

Gu Lianzhao set down the lantern. “Justice will be served.”

But this so-called justice would likely plunge Wang Mingxuan into an even deeper hell.

Lost in heartbroken sobs, Wang Mingxuan missed the words. By the time he gathered himself, Gu Lianzhao had already walked off with the lantern.

At the door, Gu Lianzhao glanced at the gate guard and said flatly, “Every two hours, feed him a meal. It doesn’t need to be much, but make sure the dosage is full.”

The guard nodded knowingly.

It was a standard tactic in the Imperial Prison. The food wasn’t poisoned but laced with two harmless drugs: one to accelerate digestion and heighten hunger; the other a bewitching drug to induce deep sleep.

In the lightless depths of the prison, with no clocks or chimes, prisoners lost all sense of time under the alternating assault of starvation and drowsiness, unable to tell how long they’d been confined.

Losing track of time was the first step toward breakdown.

Gu Lianzhao had no intention of driving Wang Mingxuan mad. He just needed him panicked, disoriented—enough to hand over the remaining bones himself.

…

The moment he stepped out of the pitch-black Imperial Prison, blinding light assaulted him, forcing Gu Lianzhao to squeeze his eyes shut.

It was the twelfth lunar month, bitterly cold. The sun shone white and chill, offering no warmth. For once, Gu Lianzhao felt a true shiver. He tugged his collar tighter and hurried toward the rear hall.

Though he hadn’t spent the night in the prison, he hadn’t slept either. Now, with a moment free, he skipped rest to pore over the Wang Family maid’s confession.

From it, Wang Yuyin emerged as the epitome of a noble family’s sheltered young lady. She rarely ventured out, staying deep within the household. Yet every one or two months, she would evade her maids, disguise herself as a young servant boy, and sneak out alone—without escorts—for half a day at a time.

The confession also confirmed her pregnancy. At fifteen, she had aborted it. The maid had bought the abortifacient, providing full details on time and place. Even the pit for burying the fetal remains had been dug by that little maidservant in secret.

The story sounded outlandish, but in the Wang Family, it made a twisted sort of sense.

Wang Yuyin’s mother was Wang Mingxuan’s first wife, whose health declined after the birth, leaving her barren until she died of illness five years later.

Two years after that, Wang Mingxuan took a second wife. Fearing for his daughter, he chose an utterly docile woman—one honest to a fault but unequal to any real challenges.

Aware of Wang Yuyin’s favored status, the new wife avoided conflict, never raising her voice or meddling in the girl’s courtyard. Fortunately, the Wang Family’s eldest miss was obedient and well-behaved in all things save this folly, getting along amiably with her stepmother.

The two sides had always minded their own business, and Lord Wang was little more than a mediocre bureaucrat bogged down by endless administrative duties. As a result, the servants in Wang Yuyin’s courtyard answered solely to the eldest miss and never dared to breathe a word of it outside. And so, the matter had remained hidden for all these years.

Having read through the confessions, Gu Lianzhao felt a great deal lighter.

The world at large claimed that blending truth and falsehood was the key to effective deception.

Yet for anyone who had truly cracked cases before, it was different. If a story was spun entirely from whole cloth, with no real person at its core, then no matter how deeply one dug—no matter if one turned the earth upside down—not a single trace would ever be found. But if truth and lies were woven together, leaving behind tangible evidence, then exposing the falsehoods was merely a question of time.

Since a man existed who had gotten Wang Yuyin pregnant, all that remained was to find him.