Zhong Li had never felt such despair. She lay on the cold stone bed, watching the water stains slowly seeping through the stone roof due to dampness.
Her lower body was already soaked. The water had penetrated her clothes, and the chilling cold, carried by the autumn wind occasionally blowing in from outside the prison, made her tremble uncontrollably.
However, she had no mind to care about her own life or death. She was counting the days until Zhong Wuyou’s demise, counting the moments until the last glimmer of hope in her heart was extinguished.
She didn't know Zhong Wuyou's physical condition or how severe his injuries were. She could only offer herself some psychological comfort based on her experience and the knowledge stored in her mind.
The Japanese had conducted a study: people who underwent abdominal surgery could typically survive for six hours. It had been five hours since she discovered Zhong Wuyou, and soon he would die from a lack of treatment, infection of his wounds, or excessive blood loss.
As for herself, she could only bear the self-blame and guilt, living on.
Zhong Li’s ears were constantly filled with the screams from the adjacent water prison, cries of pain and whimpers that sounded as if they came from hell. They involuntarily reminded her of her own situation before she was rescued from the coffin by Gai Chen.
Despair, a heart turned to ashes.
At this moment, a fear she had never experienced before began to spread through her. The illness that Lu Wuxie had driven away at some unknown time returned like a whirlwind.
Zhong Li sighed, wanting to struggle, wanting to escape.
"Zhong Li, someone is here to see you!" Zeng Fan's voice was like divine music descending from the heavens, pulling Zhong Li back from the brink of collapse.
Zhong Li pushed herself up. The effects of the medicine had dissipated, leaving her feeling listless.
"Li'er!" a woman's voice called from the opposite side.
Zhong Li looked up and, seeing Hua Yao outside the bars, said, "Yao'er."
Hua Yao's worry lessened slightly when she saw Zhong Li still responding. "Are you alright?"
Zhong Li shook her head.
Hua Yao glanced around, ensuring Zeng Fan was not present, and then hastily took something from her embrace and placed it inside the cell. "You haven't eaten all day, have you? I brought some, eat quickly."
Zhong Li looked at the white steamed buns, but her mouth found no taste.
She shook her head and looked at Hua Yao. "Yao'er, I need to ask you something."
Hua Yao was still rummaging in her embrace. As she took out an orange, she nodded upon hearing Zhong Li's question.
"Is Wuyou alright?"
Hua Yao's orange rolled onto the ground.
Zhong Li watched the fruit roll to her feet and then looked at Hua Yao, who dared not even lift her head. She could roughly guess the outcome. She lowered her gaze, picked up the orange, and slowly began to peel it.
"Li'er!" Hua Yao reached into the cell and held Zhong Li's hands.
"I heard you were in trouble just now, so I went to find Wuyou first. But Ah Wu absolutely refused to let me see him, saying... saying Wuyou is a criminal now and I can't see him.
You don't know, the case of chat grass was personally handled by the Emperor with dedicated personnel. We ordinary people can't interfere. I'm sorry!" As Hua Yao spoke, she recalled her past interactions with Zhong Wuyou and could not understand why Ah Wu would treat a child like this.
"It's not your fault!" Zhong Li shook her head, her eyes filled with a dead heart.
Hua Yao had never seen Zhong Li like this and felt worried. "Don't worry, I will find a way to get you out..."
"Yao'er, since Ah Wu could imprison me, he must have known I wouldn't be kept here for long. After all, I just returned from Linzhou, and before that, I was at Hua Man Lou. Coupled with Sister Ah Wen’s testimony next door, I didn't have sufficient time to commit the crime." Zhong Li said.
"Then why is Ah Wu doing this?" Hua Yao asked.
Zhong Li pondered for a moment. "Wu Family Bank."
"Wu Family Bank?" Hua Yao looked puzzled, as she was not privy to the details of the Linzhou case.
"Ah Wu is no longer the Ah Wu he was before. As you have seen recently, he has changed." Zhong Li said, recounting everything that had happened.
Hua Yao covered her mouth and widened her eyes in surprise. "So Ah Wu now... but... the case of chat grass was personally handed to him by the Emperor. How can such a coincidence happen in this world? Ah Wu is working for the Empress, and coincidentally, chat grass..."
"What if this is not a coincidence, but a well-planned scheme?" Zhong Li interrupted Hua Yao, asking coldly.
Hua Yao was completely flustered. Her bright eyes blinked incessantly, but she couldn't come up with a foolproof plan.
"Let me think, let me think!" she murmured to herself. "Why did Ah Wu arrest you? You and the Crown Prince personally oversaw the chat grass case, so you would know all the details of the case best.
To achieve the 'Golden Cicada Shedding its Shell' strategy, one must eliminate the greatest threat, which is you. You have no background, nor anyone to rely on. Any charge could easily revoke your official position. So, their goal... is the Crown Prince?"
Zhong Li nodded, her gaze fixed on Hua Yao.
"I am merely a catalyst. Their target must be the Crown Prince. Prince Xian has a good reputation among the people, and it is not easy to bring him down. However, Prince Xian, due to the matter of the Crown Princess, has been consuming chat grass, leaving his body depleted and his mind no longer on state affairs.
Currently, apart from the favored Consort Nangong and the Sixth Prince, the only one who can speak with authority in court is the Crown Prince of Prince Xian's manor."
Hearing Zhong Li's analysis, Hua Yao's expression became enlightened. "But Yao'er, speaking of which, the Empress's only son, Lu Yuanhong, is already the Crown Prince. Under normal circumstances, the throne should not undergo major changes, and the Empress will naturally become the Empress Dowager. Why is she racking her brains to eliminate the Crown Prince?"
Zhong Li shook her head; this was also something that had been puzzling her.
Lu Wuxie had mentioned before that in his previous life, he was part of the Crown Prince's faction. He had fought for the Crown Prince's dominion of the world, only to be met with a tragic death on Laba Festival.
At first, she thought Lu Wuxie's fate was a case of "the cunning rabbit is dead, the hounds are cooked." Now, it seemed not entirely so. The Empress appeared to have deeper secrets hidden within, and whatever could make her plan to such an extent, even to the point of madness, must be something that could completely overturn the entire Nanyue Kingdom.
"If that's the case, then I must hurry and find the Crown Prince!" Hua Yao, not noticing Zhong Li's thoughts, realized the numerous traps and obstacles. She quickly stuffed all the food she had brought onto Zhong Li and hurried out of the Ministry of Justice.
Zhong Li sat on the ground, looking at the small oranges and the mud-stained steamed buns scattered everywhere. She sighed and slowly lowered her head.
At the same time, within the Judicial Court.
Lu Wuxie looked at Lin Jin, who stood before him with a drawn sword, and asked with a dark expression, "What did you say? Li'er has been arrested?"
Lin Jin nodded, his expression not much better. "Master, this is the news just received from Feiyuan Pavilion. This morning, Ah Wu went to Miss Zhong's villa and arrested her and brought her to the Ministry of Justice on the grounds of harboring chat grass."
"Chat grass?" Lu Wuxie narrowed his eyes, bewildered. He and Zhong Li had only just uncovered the matter of chat grass a few days ago. How had Ah Wu started acting so quickly?
"And more..." Lin Jin paused here, his tone somewhat strained.
"And what?" Lu Wuxie asked nervously.
"And... our people investigated thoroughly, and the child Miss Zhong was raising, young master Wuyou... is dead!"
"What did you say?" Upon hearing this, Lu Wuxie felt his body sway slightly. Although he had not been with Zhong Wuyou constantly, he had watched the little fellow grow for almost a year. Everyone could see how much Zhong Li doted on him. Now that he was dead, putting aside whether he could accept this sudden bad news, Zhong Li herself would simply be unable to bear it!
"Where is Li'er? Where is she now?" he asked.
"The Ministry of Justice's prison," Lin Jin replied truthfully.
Hearing this, Lu Wuxie no longer cared about the matters of the Wu Family Bank he had just investigated. He grabbed his outer garment from the chair and walked out.