Between his mother and his dignity, Nan Yujin chose his mother.
He opened his mouth and, under Ji Jinmo's icy gaze, barked, "Woof~ woof~ woof~"
Each bark louder than the last, he seemed to be venting the humiliation and anger in his heart through his dog barks. In a trance, he seemed to see the scene on that mid-winter day when a young Nan Shiying knelt on the ground, mimicking a dog's bark.
That day, he stood before her, laughing heartily.
Today, she stood before him, but she did not laugh. The child hidden deep within her soul seemed to be crying.
Nan Shiying did not look at Nan Yujin. She tilted her head, looking at Ji Jinmo, whose face was sharp and seemed surrounded by an aura of menace, and smiled gently.
Her smile was as faint as a passing wisp of breeze.
She reached into Ji Jinmo's hand, her fingers weaving through his long, slender digits, gripping them tightly.
"Nan Yujin, whether you believe it or not, I want to tell you that Nan Yuqing was not pushed by me. To be precise, although I resisted and there was physical contact that day, I did not push her."
"Her death has nothing to do with me!"
Although the memory had long since blurred, Nan Shiying still voiced her deductions. Even if Nan Shiying had pushed Nan Yuqing during her resistance, what then? That day, when she fell into the water and cried for help, why did no one jump in to save her? Why did the maids and servants only jump in after she had sunk to the bottom of the lake?
Nan Yuqing's death was already full of suspicious doubts, but in the end, why was all the blame placed on Nan Shiying?
Did Nan Chaoyin really not suspect anything? Did he truly not know who had killed Nan Yuqing?
Nan Yujin recalled the scene that day, remembering only the panicked crowd and his mother's pained cries. In the end, he was just a child at the time.
He didn't know whether to believe Nan Shiying's words and overturn what he had long ago accepted as fact.
"Since I have said all I needed to say, I have nothing more to add."
Nan Shiying did not elaborate further, lest she deepen Nan Yujin's suspicion. Sometimes, all it took was planting a seed, without even needing to water or fertilize it; that seed would naturally grow and mature.
Nan Shiying believed that day would not be far off!
...
Thirteen did not go to the Nan residence but instead led his men to Huan Cai Pavilion to apprehend Shi Yi.
To avoid any unforeseen complications, Nan Shiying decided to interrogate Nan Yujin's personal attendant that very night, giving Yu Chengxuan no time to react, lest he sever the connections between the informants.
Xuan Yi grabbed the woman's collar and threw her into the icy lake.
There was not a trace of blood in the flower boat's cabin; it was so clean that no cleaning was needed. Nan Yujin followed Nan Shiying and Ji Jinmo, his head lowered. He gazed at Nan Shiying's retreating back, lost in thought.
He wondered when this Nan Shiying, who was so lowly that even the servants of the Nan mansion could bully her at will, had grown to this extent.
And were the rumors circulating about the prince and his consort's deep affection true!
Nan Yujin felt a momentary bewilderment. While his mind wandered, he couldn't help but recall everything that had just transpired.
After Qing'er's death, his mother, in her grief, had neglected all affairs of the mansion. It was from that time that Madam Liu's influence grew stronger each day, until finally, the servants in the mansion only obeyed Madam Liu's orders, having long forgotten that the matriarch of the Nan mansion was his mother, Madam Wang.
If one were to trace back from the ultimate beneficiaries, then the person who had killed his sister Qing'er was Madam Liu!
Madam Liu!
Madam Liu!
Nan Yujin clenched his fists, a surge of grief and indignation overwhelming him, yet he didn't know how to vent it.
He couldn't simply accept this as fact based on Nan Shiying's words and his own deductions, but a voice within him kept repeating Madam Liu's name!
His thoughts were in a turmoil. He walked in a daze all the way to the prince's mansion and into the dungeon.
It wasn't until a heart-wrenching scream echoed in his ears that he suddenly jolted awake, his mind completely clear.
The accumulated smell of blood and mold stimulated Nan Yujin's senses. He frowned and looked towards the source of the scream.
His personal attendant, bound to a wooden cross, was having his flesh cut off by Nan Shiying with a blunt knife.
Slice by slice, blood flowed from the exposed wounds, creating a series of glaring crimson streams.
"Young Master, Young Master, save me!"
The attendant saw Nan Yujin and cried out in agony.
Nan Yujin gazed at the familiar face, his heart aching with pity. However, recalling everything he had experienced today, he forcefully suppressed the emotions welling up in his eyes.
He gritted his teeth and asked, "Was it you who drugged me?"
The attendant vigorously shook his head, denying the accusation. "No, it wasn't me, Young Master. It was them. They are framing me. This was all a setup by them, they..."
"How truly noisy!"
Nan Shiying dislocated the attendant's jaw with a swift movement, turning all his protests into whimpers.
"You..."
Nan Shiying turned, looking at Nan Yujin with a calm expression, "What do you want to say?"
Nan Yujin swallowed his words.
Seeing that Nan Yujin was no longer babbling, Nan Shiying turned back and smiled at the attendant, "I like tough bones the most. Tough bones deserve tough treatment. Jia Huan..."
Nan Shiying called out to Jia Huan, who was standing nearby.
Jia Huan responded, and Nan Shiying said, "Bury him in the ground."
Jia Huan recalled the scene of burying the jade-faced young master in the ground that day, becoming somewhat excited. His movements even quickened.
Xuan Yi took a step back, deciding to avoid contact with Jia Huan as much as possible from now on.
This fellow was a bit off!
Although the pit dug to bury the jade-faced young master last time had been refilled with soil, the soil here was softer than elsewhere and easy to dig. Nan Shiying, seeing them bury a person in such a manner for the first time, was somewhat speechless.
"Sir, did we build this dungeon to allow prisoners to escape?"
She hadn't noticed it before, but now she clearly saw that the ground beneath the dry straw was soil. Wasn't she afraid the prisoners would dig a tunnel?
Wait, the heavenly prison in the imperial palace seemed to be exactly like the prince's dungeon!
Ji Jinmo explained, "The dungeon walls are built three feet underground, and below this soil, three feet down, a layer of steel bars is laid. So, theoretically, even if they dig, they will only hit a wall."
Nan Shiying: "..."
In other words, the prison cell was like a tin shed with a layer of soil spread on top. Was this some kind of joke?
Who built this prince's dungeon and the heavenly prison? That person was truly an utter scoundrel!
While Nan Shiying and Ji Jinmo were talking, Jia Huan had already buried the attendant in the ground. Nan Shiying picked up a nearby awl, turned, and smiled at Nan Yujin, "This is the punishment I just told that girl about: skinning someone alive!"
As she spoke, she made a hole in the attendant's head with the awl, and then slowly poured the mercury silver, prepared by Jia Huan, into the hole on the attendant's head.
Wails like those of a cuckoo crying blood echoed throughout the dungeon.
Nan Yujin watched the scene before him, feeling as if his blood had instantly frozen into frost.
So, there really was a way to skin a person alive!