Zhong Li had never considered sleeping a torment.
She lay on the cold, hard stone bed, her body as if imprisoned in an ice cellar, battered and tormented. From time to time, she could hear the scurrying of mice and the crawling of bugs beneath the bed. She thought that only those utterly exhausted would find this place a shelter from the wind and rain.
Just as she was jolted awake from nightmares countless times, her mind growing hazy, the prison cell door was opened at some unknown hour.
She could hear it, but she didn't want to turn over to check.
"Li'er!" someone called her. The voice was filled with urgency, and it seemed vaguely familiar.
"Master, the young lady seems to have a fever!" Lin Jin stood beside Lu Wuxie, noticing Zhong Li's unusual state and speaking up to remind him.
Upon hearing this, Lu Wuxie quickly sat up Zhong Li, who was on the stone bed. The moment he touched her body, his heart became flustered; her skin was terrifyingly hot.
"Cold, so cold!" Zhong Li murmured to herself.
Lu Wuxie's brows furrowed, and he placed his hand on her forehead to test it. Suddenly, his expression changed drastically, and he stared fixedly at Zeng Fan, who stood outside the cell.
Zeng Fan froze, startled, and quickly knelt on the ground, saying, "Young Master, this… I told A Wu at the time that this cell was not fit to live in. He insisted on arranging for Lord Zhong to be placed in this one. It's truly not my fault!"
Lu Wuxie closed his eyes, suppressing his emotions. Normally, he would have rushed out and executed Zeng Fan and A Wu on the spot. However, now that he was about to become a prisoner, everything he did had to be planned for the future.
"Lin Jin!" Lu Wuxie said.
Lin Jin nodded and took Zhong Li from Lu Wuxie's arms.
"Take her and find the best physician. I want good news tomorrow!" Lu Wuxie said, then took off his outer cloak and draped it over Zhong Li.
Lin Jin nodded, then scooped up the delirious Zhong Li in his arms and walked out of the cell.
Zeng Fan watched Zhong Li leave as if nothing had happened. Just as he was about to say something else, Lu Wuxie had already walked up to his side.
"Lord Zeng," Lu Wuxie said, his tone icy.
Zeng Fan shivered and cupped his hands in greeting towards Lu Wuxie.
"Lord Zeng, I am now vouching for Lord Zhong. I will be temporarily detained here until this case is cleared. I am considered a prisoner, so you need not be so formal," Lu Wuxie said.
Upon hearing this, Zeng Fan quickly said with a fawning smile, "Where are you speaking of, Young Master? You were able to bring the Emperor's decree. I already have an inkling of the case's outcome. Rest assured, I will arrange a comfortable cell for you."
"No need. This one will do. Although it's for female prisoners, there's no one around. I must empathize with the suffering Li'er has endured," Lu Wuxie said, then sat down on the stone bed, his intention clear.
Seeing this, Zeng Fan quickly called his subordinates to bring in good food and drink, even bringing a set of clean bedding.
Lu Wuxie did not stop him when he saw his eagerness, as the power to use or not use it was in his hands.
When Zeng Fan had finished, and was preparing to leave.
Lu Wuxie saw that the surrounding jailers had dispersed and then stood up to call him back.
"Lord Zeng!"
Zeng Fan paused, then turned to look at Lu Wuxie.
Lu Wuxie walked to Zeng Fan's side, his hands clasped behind his back, and said, "I've changed things regarding Lord Zhong. When do you plan to report this to Lord Fu?"
"Ah?" Zeng Fan thought he had misheard and looked surprised.
"Lord Zeng was promoted by Lord Fu. Although you, like a pawn, are not often used, you cannot be underestimated. After all, even little devils have their uses, don't they?" Lu Wuxie looked at Zeng Fan, his eyes filled with a smile that made it impossible to discern his true intentions.
Zeng Fan swallowed several times, his eyes darting around as he deliberated for a long time. He finally said, "Young Master, rest assured, what happened today, this subordinate absolutely..."
"Release her," Lu Wuxie interrupted Zeng Fan.
"What?" Zeng Fan asked, confused.
Lu Wuxie repeated, "After you leave here, spread the word to Lord Fu, the sooner the better."
"Ah?" If Zeng Fan had thought he misheard before, now he was somewhat confused by Lu Wuxie's tactics.
Lu Wuxie did not intend to explain, but slowly walked up to him, helping him straighten his slightly wrinkled official robes as he said, "Lord Zeng, you are a sensible person. If this world still belongs to the Lu family, you can eat the Emperor's grain for a lifetime.
If the surname of this world changes, and Lord Fu personally buries the Lan family, who are related by blood, do you think a mere Ministry of Justice official like yourself can survive under his control for long? How could he allow his stain to be known?
Gratitude for a benefactor should be repaid with a flowing spring, but if even survival is an issue, is the so-called gratitude for a benefactor not just bullshit?"
"Ah!" Zeng Fan, upon hearing this, was so frightened that his legs went weak and he almost sat on the ground. Fortunately, Lu Wuxie reacted quickly and grabbed his arm.
"Lord Zeng, this is close to the water dungeon, and the ground is slippery. Be careful!" Lu Wuxie said, but the smile did not reach his eyes.
Zeng Fan's lips trembled, and he nodded repeatedly.
Lu Wuxie said, "So do as I say. Say what you should say, and don't say what you shouldn't. Do you understand?"
Zeng Fan nodded his head as fast as a garlic pounder.
"Go!" As soon as Lu Wuxie finished speaking, Zeng Fan quickly turned and ran out of the cell as if flying.
When Lu Wuxie was the only one left in the female prisoner's cell, he sat on the stone bed, looking at the water droplets seeping from the wall, and murmured to himself, "Li'er, soon, when all this is over, we will have no more reservations."
An hour later, in the Imperial Palace.
"What did you say?" Empress Shen Nong sat before her vanity. She had been filled with joy, preparing to place a hairpin on her head to admire it, but upon hearing Zipei's words, she was so angry that she almost knocked over the rouge on the table.
"Lu Wuxie vouched for Zhong Li and entered the Ministry of Justice prison?" she asked Zipei, her eyes filled with disbelief.
Zipei nodded, "Yes. Lord Fu just sent someone to deliver the message. The news should be true."
"How could it be so fast?" Shen Nong's eyebrows furrowed, her face full of suspicion.
"Your Majesty, isn't this good? Wasn't the Young Master's imprisonment always what you wished for?" Zipei asked her mistress, confused.
Shen Nong stood up and walked to the window. Seeing that there was no one around, she closed the window and said, "What you said is not wrong, but the timing of Lu Wuxie's imprisonment is off."
"Is there a difference between before and after?" Zipei asked again.
Shen Nong sneered and casually picked up a floral diadem from the vanity, playing with it on her forehead. "Of course, there is a difference. His marriage to Shen Ying has been settled.
If he had been imprisoned first, according to the laws of Southern Yue Kingdom, the Young Master would be considered a prisoner. The marriage to Shen Ying could be called off at any time, and he would even earn a good reputation."
Zipei, upon hearing this, understood somewhat and leaned forward, saying, "Your Majesty, the Young Master has been averse to marrying Miss Shen from the very beginning. This time, he went to such great lengths for Lord Zhong, it should be..."
"What do you understand?" Shen Nong interrupted Zipei with a cold snort.
Zipei, seeing this, was so frightened that she quickly knelt on the ground and dared not speak.
"You, a little girl, dare to speculate about your mistress's affairs," Shen Nong scolded.
Zipei, realizing her mistake, quickly kowtowed, "Your Majesty, Zipei has overstepped. Please forgive me."
Shen Nong closed her eyes as if contemplating something. After a long time, she said, "Go and find the Crown Prince. Remember to bring Eunuch Yun, who is always by his side."
"Yes!" Zipei did not dare to say more and quickly walked out of the Phoenix Palace.
When Shen Nong was left alone in the hall, she no longer held back. She overturned the bronze mirror in front of her and said, "Well done, Lu Wuxie. You've taken the initiative, trying to escape my control in this way. Not a chance!"