Chapter 153

Fan Changyu couldn't remember whether she had ultimately fainted or simply fallen asleep from exhaustion.

In her hazy memories, it felt as though a warm, damp rain had clung to her the entire time. No matter how desperately she ran in her dreams, she could never shake it off.

When she finally woke, daylight was already streaming into the room.

Voices drifted faintly from outside.

"…The Li family will inevitably resort to desperate measures. Wei Yan's backup plans won't be that simple either. Inform Gongsun's side that they can set out now."

"This subordinate obeys."

Footsteps followed, along with the creak of a door opening and closing.

When Xie Zheng returned to the inner chamber, he found Fan Changyu already sitting up in bed, wrapped in a quilt.

The coldness in his features softened immediately.

Walking over to sit beside the bed, he gently tucked a loose strand of her messy hair behind her ear. The intimate gesture came naturally.

"You're awake? It's still early. Why not sleep a little longer?"

The snowstorm had continued through the night, and more than two inches of snow had accumulated outside.

The heated floor kept the room perfectly warm.

When Fan Changyu sat up, she realized she was wearing an undershirt that clearly didn't fit her. The collar was far too wide and kept slipping off her shoulders.

She glanced down.

From her shoulders to both arms, there were marks everywhere.

The sight was almost unbearable.

The chaotic memories of the previous night flooded back.

Silently, she tugged the collar back into place.

After Xie Zheng entered, she studied him for a moment before asking the first question that came to mind.

"Are you all right now?"

The hand he had used to brush aside her hair still rested behind her ear against the snowy-white skin of her neck.

At her question, his dark eyes gazed at her quietly for a long moment.

Suddenly, he cupped the back of her neck, pulled her closer, and kissed her twice on the lips.

Then he murmured softly,

"How can you be so lovable?"

Fan Changyu met his gaze openly with her bright eyes.

"You endured it until you coughed up blood last night…"

Xie Zheng seemed particularly fond of touching her. His thumb gently stroked the back of her neck as he asked,

"If I hadn't coughed up blood, would you still have indulged me like that?"

The memory of how she had eventually lost consciousness was far too embarrassing.

To Fan Changyu, it was a humiliating reminder that her stamina had been inferior to his.

Lowering her head awkwardly, she changed the subject.

"I'm hungry."

Seeing her reaction, a shadow flickered through Xie Zheng's eyes.

"The kitchen has food prepared. I'll have someone bring it."

Fan Changyu nodded.

Yet instead of leaving, Xie Zheng crouched beside the bed.

Taking both her hands, he kissed them gently.

His expression was unusually serious.

"For things to happen this way and for you to follow me without a proper ceremony… I've wronged you in the end."

"When everything is settled, I'll give you a wedding unlike any the world has ever seen."

Whether she was simply broad-minded or had stopped caring so much about worldly conventions after everything she had experienced, Fan Changyu wasn't particularly concerned about such things.

Yet hearing him make the promise so solemnly still felt like a pebble dropped into the lake of her heart, sending ripples spreading outward.

Being cherished and treasured like this made her feel that even if the road ahead was lined with blades and flames, she would have no fear walking it with him.

So she cupped his face and leaned down to plant a loud kiss on his forehead.

Her face reddened, but her eyes remained bright and clear.

"You haven't wronged me."

"I'll marry Xie Zheng."

"But Yan Zheng already married into my family."

When Xie Zheng didn't respond, she glared at him with reddened cheeks.

"We haven't divorced yet. Unless you're planning to deny it."

Xie Zheng tightened his grip around her wrist.

After a long silence, he looked up and asked,

"Does it still hurt?"

Fan Changyu froze.

The moment she realized what he was referring to, even the tips of her ears turned crimson.

Embarrassed and annoyed, she immediately threw a punch.

"Get lost!"

Even after taking the punch, Xie Zheng wasn't angry.

Instead, he caught her hand, pushed her back into the bedding, and kissed her fiercely for a while.

Only then did he release her clenched fist and kiss it lightly.

Joy and satisfaction radiated from the corners of his eyes and brows.

"Get some more sleep after you eat."

"I need to make a few arrangements and speed up the final stages."

"I'll bring you back to the Couriers' Lodge later."

Fan Changyu was still trying to catch her breath.

When he mentioned making arrangements, she immediately remembered the conversation she had overheard upon waking.

"Has something happened with the Li family again?"

The smile on Xie Zheng's lips turned cold.

"They were played by Wei Yan."

"The strategist the Li family arranged to testify that Wei Yan colluded with the rebels was actually Wei Yan's own man."

"At the final hearing, he suddenly changed his testimony, claiming everything had been ordered by the Li family. He even produced letters as evidence."

Fan Changyu stared in astonishment.

After their previous prison break, she knew better than anyone how heavily guarded the Court of Judicial Review had become.

At first, Grand Tutor Li had assumed Wei Yan intended to silence the witness.

Since Wei Yan had people within the Court while the Li family only controlled the Ministry of Justice's western division, Grand Tutor Li feared further assassination attempts.

He had personally pushed for personnel from the Censorate to be stationed there and even deployed troops from the Five Armies Camp to guard the prison.

Now that the strategist had reversed his testimony, all of Grand Tutor Li's efforts had become a case of lifting a rock only to drop it on his own foot.

"So when you said earlier that the Li family might become desperate, this is what you meant?"

Xie Zheng nodded.

"Last night, Xie Three led men to the Court to extract the witness."

"They happened to catch members of the Li family distracting the Five Armies Camp guards outside while attempting to kill the strategist."

"By sheer coincidence, they ruined the Li family's plan."

"Since they failed to destroy the witness and the evidence, all they have left is a fight to the death."

Fan Changyu was deeply shocked.

"Wei Yan's schemes are frighteningly deep."

She frowned.

"He knew from the very beginning that the Li family was plotting against him."

"He deliberately left clues for Qi Min to discover and lured them into the trap."

A darker look settled over Xie Zheng's face.

His eyes lowered slightly as he spoke in a cool, mocking tone.

"Hasn't he always been willing to use any means necessary?"

Fan Changyu squeezed his hand.

"Your people already rescued the old steward from Prince Changxin's estate. Perhaps we can learn something about Wei Yan's dealings with Prince Changxin from him."

"Heaven's net is vast. Nothing escapes it."

"We'll find evidence to convict him eventually."

Looking at the hand she was gripping so tightly, the darkness and hostility weighing on Xie Zheng's heart eased somewhat.

He quietly replied,

"All right."

—

After eating, Fan Changyu didn't rest.

Instead, she accompanied Xie Zheng to the Xie family's private prison to interrogate the old steward from Prince Changxin's estate.

At first, the old man was extremely stubborn.

No matter what they asked, he refused to answer and merely pretended to be mad and confused.

Later, Xie Zheng had Zhao Xun and the mother and son brought in.

Seeing that feigning insanity no longer worked, the old man still refused to speak despite having his grandson as a weakness.

Xie Zheng ordered torture.

To everyone's surprise, the frail-looking elder possessed remarkable fortitude.

Rather than reveal anything, he nearly bit off his own tongue to commit suicide.

His loyalty to Prince Changxin was astonishing.

Xie Zheng quickly noticed the same thing.

The old man's health was poor. If the torture continued, he would likely die in prison before revealing anything.

So he switched tactics and began attacking his mind instead.

The brazier's flames illuminated the damp, gloomy dungeon.

Seated in a grand chair, Xie Zheng accepted a cup of hot tea from a guard.

He leisurely brushed the lid across the surface before speaking in a casual tone.

"Your son has already been beaten to death in court."

"I don't particularly enjoy spilling the blood of children."

"But my patience is limited."

"If you continue being uncooperative, every man around me is skilled in death by a thousand cuts."

"We'll slice the flesh from your grandson piece by piece and feed it to dogs."

"I guarantee he'll still be alive when we reach his internal organs."

"He'll be able to cry out and call you Grandfather."

Only after finishing did he raise his eyes.

Through the steam rising from the teacup, he looked indifferently at the old man.

The woman holding the child had already fainted from terror while listening to his description.

Only the child remained conscious.

Crying loudly, he called for his mother and grandfather.

The innocent cries sounded like those of a lamb being led to slaughter, enough to tighten anyone's chest.

Fan Changyu knew such threats were necessary if they wanted to break the old man's psychological defenses.

Forcing herself to remain expressionless, she sat silently in a nearby chair.

The old man watched his grandson crawling on the floor, crying while trying to shake his unconscious mother awake.

Tears streamed down the elder's face.

Yet all he said was,

"Grandfather has failed you…"

"Grandfather has failed you…"

"But Grandfather has no choice…"

Impatience flashed through Xie Zheng's eyes.

"Eleven."

Xie Eleven gestured toward the door.

Soon several servants entered, leading vicious wolfhounds with saliva dripping from their jaws.

The moment the dogs spotted the child, they began barking furiously.

The child screamed in terror.

The old man, bloodied from torture, stared with tear-filled eyes and repeatedly kowtowed toward Xie Zheng.

"The child is innocent."

"If he must die, at least grant him a quick death."

"The Prince treated me with immeasurable kindness."

"Without him, my entire family would have perished long ago."

"The years I've lived since then were borrowed from the King of Hell."

"I swore never to betray the Prince."

The wolfhounds were already straining toward the child.

Yet despite crying and begging for a merciful death for his grandson, the old man still refused to reveal anything.

Fan Changyu looked toward Xie Zheng.

He made a small gesture.

The guards immediately dragged the dogs away.

Fan Changyu turned to the old steward.

"You are loyal to Sui Tuo to the death."

"But is the person you're loyal to now truly Sui Tuo's descendant?"

"You don't need to keep pretending."

"The man who died in Jizhou wasn't the real Sui Yuanhuai."

"Otherwise, you wouldn't have had your daughter-in-law and grandson pose as his concubine and child."

The old man's crying abruptly stopped.

He stared at Fan Changyu.

"What do you mean by that?"

After exchanging a glance with Xie Zheng, Fan Changyu continued,

"I mean the prince was switched."

"Seventeen years ago, when the Crown Prince's palace burned, Prince Changxin's wife and son were among the guests there."

"The one who truly died in the fire was Sui Yuanhuai."

"The child whose face was burned beyond recognition was actually the Imperial Grandson."

"The entire incident was a carefully planned substitution."

Panic spread across the old man's face.

He seemed unable to believe it.

Again and again, he muttered,

"Impossible…"

"Impossible…"

Fan Changyu continued,

"The younger Princess Changxin and Sui Yuanqing also died at his hands."

The old man's hunched body bent even lower.

Suddenly, however, a fierce light burst from his eyes.

"Didn't the Princess take her own life to protect the eldest young master?"

"As for the heir, he died at your hands!"

"Don't think you can fool me with such lies!"

"I won't fall for it!"

At that moment, Zhao Xun spoke up.

"I can testify that man was not the eldest young master of Prince Changxin's estate."

The old man spat viciously in his direction.

"A traitor's words cannot be trusted!"

The man's stubbornness gave Fan Changyu a headache.

After spending so long in the dungeon, she felt suffocated.

While stepping outside with Xie Zheng for fresh air, she kicked at the snow on the ground and sighed.

"He's tough."

"What if we simply can't pry open his mouth?"

At first, she had wondered why Xie Zheng hadn't immediately revealed that Sui Yuanhuai was an impostor and instead began by threatening the child.

Now she understood.

For someone this stubborn, someone who refused to believe anything without undeniable proof, words alone were useless.

Light snow began falling again.

The sky looked bleak and overcast.

A few flakes landed in Fan Changyu's hair.

As Xie Zheng reached up to brush them away, he lowered his gaze and looked at her.

"I want to use the Imperial Great-Grandson in a performance."

"Are you willing?"

After a brief hesitation, Fan Changyu nodded.

"As long as Bao'er won't be harmed, I'll ask him to cooperate."

The old steward could ignore even his own grandson's life for the sake of his loyalty to the Sui family.

But he would never ignore Yu Bao'er's safety.

If they wanted to break him, Bao'er seemed to be their only option.

—

That afternoon, Fan Changyu secretly returned to the Couriers' Lodge to bring Yu Bao'er out.

Changning had not seen her all day.

When she discovered Fan Changyu had returned only to take Yu Bao'er out while leaving her behind, she immediately burst into tears.

No matter how much Fan Changyu coaxed her, Changning refused to be comforted.

Thinking the Xie residence was safe enough and that bringing Changning along shouldn't cause any problems, Fan Changyu informed Aunt Zhao and used the excuse of taking the children out to play before leaving with both of them.

What she did not know was that this accidental decision would allow both children to avoid a disaster.