The days seemed to be especially calm but whether there were some schemes lurking under the calmness, no one actually knew.
These days in the residence of Prince Ding, everyone felt themselves imperiled, especially the few valued aides under Fu Xiu Yi and things were done even more cautiously. It was not because of anything but a few days back Fu Xiu Yi sent his most valued Pei Lang to the prisons. No one was actually clear of the details but those who knew about it revealed slightly that ti was because Pei Lang was a spy that Fu Xiu Yi’s opponent had sent over.
Before this, no one could deny Pei Lang’s talent and even though everyone was jealous that Fu Xiu Yi’s treatment of him, Pei Lang had resolved a number of problems for Fu Xiu Yi in the past two years. Fu Xiu Yi just capture him like this and even if one had yet to verify it was true or not, just the night before the arrest, Pei Lang was even drinking tea and playing chess with Fu Xiu Yi with an appearance of a monarch and his subject in harmony.
If Fu Xiu Yi suddenly have some clues, he would definitely investigate if it was true or not, otherwise he would be accusing injusticely an innocence and permanently damaging a confidant’s heart. For Fu Xiu Yi to make such a decisive decision, it only showed that he had long been suspicious of Pei Lang and even with such doubts he could still put on such appearance of closeness, this Prince Ding was not a simple person. Be it if it was killing the chicken to scare the monkeys or not, the aides were much more respectful when facing Fu Xiu Yi again.
However Fu Xiu Yi’s heart was not as soothing as what others had thought. He too had some doubts.
He had sent people to monitor the Princess residence and finally learned that Princess Rong Xin actually disguised herself went to the residence of the Count of Pin Nan to look for Su Ming Feng. Even though one did not know what they were talking about or what was Princess Rong Xin’s purpose, Fu Xiu Yi thought that there was somewhat strange about it. Princess Rong Xin dwelled in deep seclusion and rarely came out that she even did not have close relations with Emperor Wen Hui. If there was, it would be having good relations with the late Princess Yu Qing in the early years. However Princess Yu Qing had been dead for many years and it was Princess Yu Qing’s son, Xie Jing Xing, who was close to Princess Rong Xin but Xie Jing Xing died two years back in the battlefield in Northern Jiang. There were no other relations between the residence of the Count of Pin Nan and Princess Rong Xin.
Fu Xiu Yi had racked his brains to think about the relationship between Princess Rong Xin and the residence of the Count of Pin Nan but it was a pity that there were no viable clues. Moreover what made Fu Xiu Yi puzzled was that why did Princess Rong Xin not look for the Count of Ping Nan, Su Yu, but instead looked for Su Ming Feng alone? Su Ming Feng had long been out of the officialdom and would not be of any help in it was for official matters and if it was for personal matters, how would Su Ming Feng know Princess Rong Xin privately? Just as Fu Xiu Yi was mumbling Su Ming Feng’s name, he was suddenly startled.
Su Ming Feng was well known to many people in Ding capital and it was not only because he was outstanding and talented or because just as he was about to enter officialdom he had a serious illness that there was no choice but to give up on the route of an official but because he was Xie Jing Xing’s playmate since young. Many people were puzzled as Su Ming Feng was an upright youth so how would he always be mixed with Xie Jing Xing, who always trifling around without respect. Since the residence of the Marquis of Lin An and the residence of the Count of Pin Nan were long friends, there was nothing wrong with having good relations.
It was as if he had found a clue as Fu Xiu Yi’s thoughts were finally broken through. Su Ming Feng was Xie Jing Xing playmate and Princess Rong Xin was Xie Jing Xing’s YiMu. If Princess Rong Xin looked for Su Ming Feng privately, it was most likely that they were discussing about Xie Jing Xing.
But wasn’t Xie Jing Xing dead? Then why would Princess Rong Xin suddenly enquired about a dead person? If it was last time, everyone would not speak anything of Xie Jing Xing in front of Princess Rong Xin, fearing that it would touch of Princess Rong Xin’s painful matter so why would Princess Rong Xin take the initiative to ask? Could it be that Xie Jing Xing was not dead? Fu Xiu Yi jumped in shock with his guess but he quickly denied it. He had personally read the secret report on Xie Jing Xing’s death so it would not be wrong. Moreover under the eyes of the public, how would one steal a rafter and replaced it with a column? This was impossible.
But one was obviously following Princess Rong Xin to investigate Prince Rui so how would it suddenly be Su Ming Feng and even involved the dead Xie Jing Xing? If it was so then the matter had become complicated but also more interesting.
Fu Xiu Yi stood up and thought for a while before instructing the people beside him, “To the underground prison.”
There was an underground prison in the residence of Prince Ding that was built in the courtyard of the ancestral hall. The Imperial Ancestral Hall was not here so the ancestral hall that was built in the Prince residence were just a place to pray to Buddha and implore for blessings. On the wall a painting of amiable looking Goddess of Mercy was hung and when one lift the painting up, one would be able to see a little Laughing Buddha statue. Upon pressing the wooden fish at the foot of the Laughing Buddha, the stone wall would open up and following the route that the stone wall opened up, it would lead to the underground prison of the residence of Prince Ding.
This underground prison was the place where spies or Prince Ding’s subordinates who had committed great wrongs. Normal death was not an enough punishment for these people and there were endless kinds of torture thus it would be filled with a bloody scent when one enter. The stone walls were covered in a thin leather-like things and if one take a closer look at it, one would deicer that it was a skin of someone who had died and was hung out to dry. It still had the extremely pained expression on it that would make one shudder with one look.
Outside it was a ancestral hall imploring blessings but inside it was like the shady business of the devil. Under the eyes of the Goddess of Mercy, this was was however like the eighteenth level of hell or even more terrifying than the eighteenth level of hell.
Fu Xiu Yi walked in with a leisurely look and his eyes were even filled with appreciation as his gaze landed on the human skin on the walls. The subordinate beside led the way inside and only stopped when he reached right to the end.
The person who was locked inside the cell was hanging from the beam and the entire body was soaked in blood. The robes were stained in fresh red colour and one could almost not see the original colour of it. Because the body was hanging, there would be blood dripping from time to time, forming a small pool of blood.
Fu Xiu Yi quietly looked at the person. That person seemed to have fainted thus he gave a look at the person beside and the person immediately brought a bucket of chilli water and poured it over the person.
That person quivered and one’s body could not help but tremble. The pain seemed to be indescribable and it was like one was suffering a great torture.
Fu Xiu Yi smiled and went forward, “Is Gentleman used to it?”
When the chilli water pierce the wounds, it had also cleaned up the blood traces on the prisoner’s face and what revealed was a clear and prideful face. It was Pei Lang.
Pei Lang smiled gently and replied in a trembling voice, “Thanks to Your Highness’s blessings, one live rather well.”
“One had long knew that Gentleman is not an ordinary person but one did not expect that not one is exceptional talented, the unflinching righteousness is something that one admired. Else how would the Shen family dispatch one over.” Fu Xiu Yi sighed, “Everyone said that the army that Shen Xin raised are all heroes. Gentleman is a scholar but one’s bones are also this hard. This Prince really want to know how does General Shen teach others.”
Pei Lang took a breath and smiled, “This one have no relationship with General Shen at all.”
“It has already been a few days but Gentleman is still persistent.” Fu Xiu Yi said, “Even though this unflinching righteousness is commendable, it is a headache as it made one prepare some unusual games to play with Gentleman.”
Pei Lang only laugh and did not speak.
Fu Xiu Yi looked at him and his tone was very amiable, as if he still had some nostalgia, “As this Prince had a master-servant relations, it was actually enjoyable. You have great talents and this Prince appreciated it. This Prince’s heart is naturally soft and is also willing to give you a chance. After atoning for one’s crime, it will be like nothing had happened and this Prince and you will be like in the past. This Prince will still call you Gentleman and you are still this Prince most capable think tank.” He leaned closer to Pei Lang and spoke with a somewhat coaxing and enticing tone, “As long as you tell this Prince what kind of secrets does the Shen family has and what is the purpose of sending you over to this Prince side. Two sentences in exchange for an opportunity. How about it?”
Pei Lang coughed twice and coughed out two lumps of blood before smiling with great difficulty, “Many thanks for Your Highness’s great fondness but this official has nothing to do with the Shen family and cannot answer Your Highness question. Most probably it is God that did not give this official an opportunity. What a pity.”
Fu Xiu Yi looked at him expressionless. After a long while he then smiled lightly and patted his hands to brush away the blood traces on his body, “Gentleman’s bones are hard and this Prince respects it a lot and is also very curious, wondering till when would Gentleman’s bones would be hard till.” He waved at the people by his side, “This thing does not enter Gentleman’s eyes and cannot be used fully. Change to a better one.”
Afterwards he stepped back and was about to leave before he suddenly thought of something, “Even though Gentleman did not speak about it, this Prince will still be able to discover the secrets of the Shen family. However this Prince wants to ask Gentleman. One heard that the Shen family value relations and righteousness and for Gentleman offer one’s life in sacrifice for one’s master, one do not know if General Shen would send someone to save Gentleman from the fire pits?”
He left with the guards.”
After Fu Xiu Yi left, Pei Lang vomited a large mouthful of blood. This seemingly gentle and the very most scheming Prince actually had such a vicious and violent side. The question that Fu Xiu Yi asked Pei Lang made him smile bitter uncontrollably.
It was not false that the Shen family people valued relations and righteousness but the person he was working for was Shen Miao. Shen Miao valued relations and righteousness but it was towards the Shen family. Other than her family and friends, one feared that everyone else was not in one bit important to Shen Miao. As to saving him, like what Fu Xiu Yi said, Pei Lang thought that it would not happen. Not mentioning that Shen Miao did not have this ability to fish a person out of the residence of Prince Ding, much less from the most secretive underground prison. At the beginning when Shen Miao wanted him to be a hidden chess piece by Fu Xiu Yi, he had expected such a day to come. Shen Miao knew that once Fu Xiu Yi discovered it, Pei Lang’s ending would be very miserable but she still did it.
Despite logical reasoning that Shen Miao would not come and save him, Pei Lang had a small faint trace of expectation in his heard. He did not know what kind of feeling he had for Shen Miao. In the beginning when Shen Miao used Liu Ying to threaten him, he felt some disgust in his heart as he hated the feeling of being not in control and threatened. Afterwards one did not know why but he actually thought himself as Shen Miao’s people. He would worry for Shen Miao and did his best to be a chess piece. Pei Lang was unable to understand his actions. He was thinking that most likely he had owe Shen Miao something in his past life and thus in this lifetime, he would spin as she wishes and even his life was changed. The guard that was responsible to torture him came over and Pei Lang threw away the thoughts in his mind and started another round of torture.
What he did not know was that in the residence of Prince Rui, Huo Long and Ye Ying was sitting at the tree eating melon seeds. Ye Ying asked, “Boss Ji and Gentleman Gao are still not let out till now. How long are they guarding the tower prison for?”
Huo Long spit out a mouthful of melon seed shells, “I guess that Master had forgotten about the matter. These days Master had been running outside so how would he have the heart to worry about others? One heard that there was a letter from the Palace of Great Liang so probably Master wants to finish these matter and return to the Palace.”
“It is correct to say as such but if Boss Ji keep on staying in the Tower Prison, then would the information from Feng Xian Pawnshop delay matters?”
Huo Long rolled his eyes at Ye Ying, “Feng Xian Pawnshop is to earn money and naturally there would be people from Mo Yu Army that will be reporting intelligence to Master so how would matters be delayed?”
When Ye Ying heard it, she felt that her companion made sense, “It is also true. Why bother with so many matters?”
There were some things in the world were a freak combination of factors, some things only need a little change in order for the entire trajectory of things to change.
In the study of Feng Xian Pawnshop, there were stacks of thick letters on the table and it was covered with dust as there was no one tidying up. On the bottom of the stack, there was a letter with three words written on it.
Residence of Prince Ding.
