Chapter 154

Yu Bao’er was an exceptionally sensible child. When Fan Changyu explained that they needed to put on an act to trick the old steward of the Sui family into confessing, he immediately nodded and agreed to cooperate.

The dungeon was dark and gloomy. Fan Changyu did not bring Changning along, instead instructing Xie Seven to take her around the estate and keep her occupied.

To intimidate the old steward, Xie Zheng ordered servants to dress Bao’er in tattered, bloodstained clothing. They used disguise makeup to make his face look pale and lifeless and even painted several realistic wounds on him.

When Xie Zheng brought Bao’er into the dungeon again, the old steward’s reaction was as intense as expected.

Gripping the cell bars with both hands, the deeply wrinkled old man looked utterly devastated.

“Young Master… What have you done to the Young Master?”

Covered in fake injuries, Yu Bao’er stood outside the cell with vacant, dazed eyes, looking as though he had suffered tremendous abuse.

Xie Zheng stood behind him with his hands clasped behind his back.

The light from the wall lamps cast his shadow entirely over Bao’er. In the dim dungeon, the dark-gold embroidery on his robes shimmered faintly in the candlelight. His refined features were ice-cold.

“You didn’t care when your grandson’s flesh was going to be sliced off.”

His voice was devoid of emotion.

“I wonder if you’ll still keep your mouth shut when it’s this child’s flesh being carved away.”

Hearing that, Yu Bao’er immediately began trembling in cooperation.

Fear appeared in his dark, hollow eyes.

The old steward collapsed to his knees beside the cell door, tears streaming down his face.

“Don’t touch the Young Master! Don’t touch him!”

His voice shook violently.

“Ask whatever you want. I’ll confess everything!”

After exchanging a glance with Xie Zheng, Fan Changyu stepped forward and asked,

“Seventeen years ago, Huaihua Lieutenant General Wei Qilin carried the Tiger Tally to Chongzhou to request reinforcements under General Changshan’s command. Why were no troops sent from Chongzhou?”

The old steward’s sobbing abruptly stopped.

He raised his aged eyes and carefully studied Fan Changyu.

Her expression immediately turned sharp.

“Answer the question.”

At the same time, Xie Eleven cracked his whip.

“How dare you stare directly at the General? Who gave you that courage?”

The whip was controlled carefully, causing pain without serious injury.

The lash struck his back like a blade and fire combined.

The old man’s body trembled uncontrollably.

Lowering his head, he no longer dared look up.

“I don’t know…”

His answer came almost instinctively.

“What Tiger Tally? What troop deployment? How would an old man like me know such things…”

Fan Changyu frowned deeply and was about to speak when Xie Zheng said,

“Eleven.”

Xie Eleven immediately picked up Yu Bao’er and headed toward the torture chamber outside the cells.

From the old steward’s position, he could clearly see the vicious wolfhounds locked in iron cages stained with dark, dried blood.

A shrill scream suddenly rang out.

Then a bloody chunk of flesh was tossed into one of the cages.

The wolfhounds instantly lunged forward and fought over it.

Merely watching the scene made the old steward retch uncontrollably.

“Stop cutting!”

His voice became hysterical.

“Stop cutting! I’ll confess! I’ll tell you everything!”

Xie Zheng looked down coldly at the old man, who was sprawled on the ground crying and gagging like an insect.

His tone remained leisurely.

“Old fool.”

“The fact that I’m asking these questions means I’ve already uncovered quite a bit.”

“The things I ask about may not even be the things I still don’t know.”

“If you dare lie to me about even one thing, not only will every remaining member of the Sui family die, but your grandson will be skinned alive and fed to dogs as well.”

The old steward’s face turned as white as wax.

Crying and kowtowing repeatedly, he said,

“I wouldn’t dare! I wouldn’t dare!”

Only then did Xie Zheng continue.

“Then tell me. Why didn’t Chongzhou send troops seventeen years ago?”

The old man’s cracked, bloodless lips trembled.

“Huaihua Lieutenant General Wei Qilin really did come to Chongzhou carrying the Tiger Tally and a handwritten letter from Wei Yan.”

“But the Prince said the tally was fake.”

“He personally matched the two halves of the tally before all the officers and soldiers of Chongzhou. The pieces wouldn’t fit together at all.”

“The Prince suspected Wei Yan had ulterior motives and wanted to arrest Wei Qilin and demand an explanation.”

Both Fan Changyu and Xie Zheng’s expressions changed.

If that was true, then Wei Yan truly had harbored malicious intentions all along.

He had even dared forge a Tiger Tally.

However, Xie Zheng quickly said,

“You’re lying.”

“The Tiger Tally Wei Yan gave Wei Qilin to present to Meng Shuyuan in Changzhou was genuine.”

“Why would the Chongzhou tally alone be fake?”

His gaze turned cold.

“Eleven.”

Almost immediately, the sound of flesh being sliced echoed again from the torture chamber.

Yu Bao’er screamed for his mother.

Another bloody piece of flesh was thrown into the wolfhound cage.

The mother and son serving as Yu Qianqian’s stand-ins had apparently been brought over to witness the scene as well.

Their shrill screams joined Bao’er’s, filling the dungeon with the desperate cries of women and children.

The noise pierced the ears.

The old steward slammed his head repeatedly against the ground until blood appeared.

“Stop!”

His voice cracked with despair.

“Please stop!”

“What I’m saying is the truth!”

“I’m only a steward of the estate. There are many things I don’t know!”

“After Wei Qilin was captured alive, he eventually found a chance to escape.”

“Not long afterward, news arrived that Jinzhou had fallen.”

“Then the court blamed the entire defeat on General Meng, accusing him of failures in grain transportation…”

The old steward wept bitterly.

“Only then did the Prince realize that Wei Qilin’s request for troops had truly been an attempt to save Jinzhou.”

“But the Prince had never been certain that General Meng had actually gone to Luocheng.”

“Although there was Wei Yan’s letter, there wasn’t a single imperial edict.”

“The Tiger Tally used to mobilize troops was also fake.”

“How could the Prince dare move troops on his own authority?”

“After Jinzhou fell, the Prince blamed himself endlessly.”

“He immediately led troops to fortify the cities south of Jinzhou.”

“That was what finally stopped the Northern Di army’s unstoppable advance.”

“The Prince intended to request punishment from the capital once the war stabilized.”

“But soon afterward came news of the fire in the Eastern Palace.”

“The Crown Prince and Crown Princess died in the flames.”

“The Princess and Eldest Young Master of Prince Changxin’s household were also among the casualties.”

“The Young Master’s face had been burned beyond recognition…”

At this point, the old steward seemed to be speaking through blood and tears.

“The Crown Prince died.”

“The Sixteenth Prince died.”

“The Eastern Palace suddenly burned.”

“How could the Prince not realize that the Princess and the Young Master had become victims of the struggle for the throne?”

“If things were truly as Wei Yan’s letter claimed—that the Late Emperor wanted to save both Jinzhou and the Sixteenth Prince, and therefore sent General Meng to Luocheng while ordering the Prince to transport supplies—then why use a fake Tiger Tally to request reinforcements?”

“Or was the tally deliberately switched by someone, causing the Prince to withhold troops and resulting in the tragedy of Jinzhou?”

The more Fan Changyu listened, the colder her body became.

Her mind felt increasingly numb.

“When the court pinned all responsibility for Jinzhou’s defeat on General Meng, didn’t Prince Changxin ever consider exposing the truth?”

The old steward’s eyes were clouded with tears.

“At the time, the Prince had not yet been granted his title.”

“He was only a general.”

“What could he possibly use to fight those who orchestrated all this?”

“If Wei Qilin had remained in his custody, perhaps there would have been a witness who could identify Wei Yan.”

“But the capital outright denied ever sending anyone to Chongzhou.”

“Even General Meng’s march to Luocheng was portrayed as an act of reckless ambition.”

“They claimed he attacked Luocheng solely for personal glory.”

“There was no evidence.”

“How could the Prince reveal the truth to the world?”

So…

Wei Yan had switched the Chongzhou Tiger Tally?

He had secretly consorted with an imperial consort.

He had engineered the deaths of Crown Prince Chengde and the Sixteenth Prince.

All for the sake of monopolizing power?

Was he hunting Fan Changyu’s parents because they were the living witnesses who could expose every one of his crimes?

Though she had long imagined countless possible truths, hearing it laid bare still struck like a hammer.

Her head throbbed.

A suffocating chill swept through her body.

She wanted to scream, to vent everything she felt, yet she lacked the strength even for that.

Fan Changyu unconsciously took a step backward.

Xie Zheng caught her wrist.

Warmth flowed steadily from his palm into her icy skin, barely helping her regain her composure.

The oil lamp in the wall niche was nearly spent.

Its flame had shrunk to a tiny bean-sized glow, making the dungeon seem even darker.

The dim yellow light outlined Xie Zheng’s sharp profile.

One hand still held Fan Changyu’s wrist.

His long lashes lowered slightly.

Not a trace of emotion showed on his face.

The calmness itself was unsettling.

“If what you’ve said is true,” he said, “then Prince Changxin spent years biding his time in Chongzhou before rebelling solely to bring down Wei Yan?”

The old steward nodded.

“That was indeed the Prince’s lifelong goal.”

Xie Zheng continued,

“And the rumors claiming Wei Yan was responsible for the Jinzhou tragedy—those were spread by Prince Changxin as well?”

The old steward choked out another affirmation.

Then he resumed pleading.

“Marquis, I’ve told you everything I know.”

“Please spare the Young Master’s only remaining bloodline.”

Xie Zheng slowly lifted his eyes.

His gaze was cold.

“For now, I’ll assume your testimony is true.”

“But everything General Yunhui told you earlier is equally true.”

“The eldest young master you’ve protected for seventeen years was never Sui Tuo’s son.”

“He is the Imperial Grandson who escaped through the substitution.”

The old steward froze.

His weathered face held nothing but shock and confusion.

Unhurriedly, Xie Zheng continued,

“If the Sui family was truly as loyal and innocent as you claim, then among all the noble families present at the Eastern Palace banquet, why did the Crown Princess choose the Sui family to shelter the Imperial Grandson?”

“And if he truly remembered the Sui family’s kindness, why could he kill Princess Changxin and Sui Yuanqing without blinking?”

His gaze rested lightly on the old steward.

There was no killing intent in it.

Yet the old man’s entire body shook like a leaf.

Tears and mucus streamed down his face.

“I really don’t know anything about that…”

Xie Zheng withdrew his gaze.

“Then think carefully.”

“What have you forgotten about those events?”

“The eldest young master to whom you’ve sworn absolute loyalty has already used the Sui family as a stepping stone in Wei Yan’s scheme.”

“Now he’s about to use the Li family to compete for the Dragon Throne.”

“Bringing down Wei Yan is certainly cause for celebration.”

“But the entire Sui family was manipulated to their deaths.”

“You claim to be loyal to them.”

“Don’t you want revenge?”

The old steward was completely overwhelmed.

Earlier, he had genuinely believed Fan Changyu and Zhao Xun were lying to deceive him.

Now he had revealed everything he knew.

After hearing Xie Zheng’s words, all that remained on his aged face was despair, misery, and utter confusion.

Xie Zheng carefully observed every change in the old man’s expression.

Only after confirming that he truly seemed to know nothing more did he take Fan Changyu by the wrist and leave the dungeon.

Behind them, the old steward finally seemed to come back to himself.

Sitting on his knees inside the cell, he began weeping bitterly.

Fan Changyu’s expression was equally heavy.

Outside the prison cells was the torture chamber.

Yu Bao’er and Xie Eleven stood hidden in blind spots on opposite sides.

Several chunks of freshly butchered pork sat on a tray atop a nearby table.

The meat previously thrown into the wolfhound cages had come from that tray.

Yu Bao’er had merely screamed on cue.

The mother and son imprisoned next door, however, had only been able to see the wolfhound cage from their angle.

Hearing Bao’er’s screams and seeing the dogs devouring bloody chunks of flesh, they had genuinely believed he was being carved alive.

That was why they had screamed in terror.

When Yu Bao’er spotted Fan Changyu, he initially wanted to run over.

But seeing how terrible her complexion looked, he stopped and simply called out,

“Aunt Changyu.”

Fan Changyu forced a nod.

“Thank you for your hard work, Bao’er.”

“Go find Changning and play for a while.”

Bao’er looked at her worriedly.

Then he glanced at Xie Zheng.

Finally, he followed Xie Eleven out of the dungeon.

Even after all this time, Fan Changyu still felt a crushing heaviness in her chest.

The torture chamber contained a tea table and several chairs.

She poured herself a cup of cold tea and drank it in one gulp.

Only then did she feel slightly steadier.

When she reached for a second cup, Xie Zheng covered her hand and stopped her.

“Changyu.”

His voice was low.

His large hand completely enveloped hers, as though trying to support her.

“If you’re hurting, then cry.”

From the moment she learned the truth about why her father had failed to bring back reinforcements until now, Fan Changyu had remained surprisingly calm.

Only her pale face betrayed anything.

She looked up at Xie Zheng.

Her stubborn eyes were tinged red.

Yet she still refused to cry.

Instead, she said,

“My grandfather.”

“My father.”

“They were innocent.”

In the past, she had lacked evidence.

She could never have spoken those words with such certainty.

Now she could.

Her voice was stretched painfully tight.

Yet hearing it made something stab sharply in Xie Zheng’s heart.

He pulled her forcefully into his arms.

“I’m sorry.”

Sorry that when your burdens were no lighter than mine, you had to bear everything alone before the truth finally came to light.

Fan Changyu forced back the burning in her eyes.

Her fists clenched tightly at her sides.

“I will clear my grandfather’s and my father’s names.”

“For the injustice they’ve suffered these seventeen years.”

Ever since learning the truth about her origins, she had never stopped thinking about this.

Back then, she simply had no proof.

Again and again, she had told herself that no matter how difficult it became, she had to keep moving forward.

Now she finally had evidence.

Evidence supporting everything she had believed all these years.

She had suddenly taken a huge step closer to her goal.

That was why the flood of emotions hit her so hard.

Why?

Why should Wei Yan’s selfish ambitions condemn her grandfather to seventeen years of disgrace?

If she failed to clear his name, then he would remain a sinner in history.

Even centuries later, people would still curse him.

That man had spent most of his life fighting for Great Yin.

He was loyal to the very bone.

Because Prince Changxin had not dared expose the truth back then, Wei Yan had turned a blind eye and allowed her parents to survive in hiding for sixteen years.

But once Prince Changxin rebelled and revived the events of the past, Wei Yan feared her parents would become witnesses against him.

So he had been willing to pay any price to kill them.

Fan Changyu rarely lost control of her emotions.

Yet now she could clearly feel hatred and fury surging through her.

Like wild horses breaking free of their reins, they raced through her blood and into every corner of her body.

Her clenched fists cracked audibly.

Xie Zheng’s hand never loosened from her back.

“This is your vengeance.”

“It is mine as well.”

It was not comfort.

Yet it comforted her more than any words could.

Taking a deep breath, Fan Changyu forcibly suppressed the violent emotions churning within her.

Then she raised her eyes and asked,

“What do you intend to do?”

At that very moment, Xie Eleven hurried back into the dungeon with Yu Bao’er and Changning.

His expression was unusually panicked.

The moment he spotted the two embracing, he immediately lowered his eyes, not even bothering to avoid looking further.

“Master, something’s wrong.”

“The Five Armies Camp has surrounded the Xie residence!”

When Xie Eleven entered with the children, Fan Changyu had already stepped away from Xie Zheng.

But hearing those words instantly erased any embarrassment she might have felt.

Her heart jumped.

Anyone bold enough to openly surround the Xie residence was either acting under imperial orders—or preparing rebellion.

And if it wasn’t the Emperor’s command, then someone clearly feared Xie Zheng would interfere with their plans and had decided to strike first.

She looked toward Xie Zheng.

Yet he seemed unsurprised.

“Grand Tutor Li has become desperate faster than I expected.”

Calmly, he instructed Xie Eleven,

“Take the children through the secret passage and out of the city.”

Then he turned toward Fan Changyu.

One of her brows lifted.

The unyielding courage and fierceness that defined her could no longer be concealed.

“I’m a general who earned every bit of my rank on the battlefield.”

“The people outside are my enemies too.”

“So don’t even think about telling me to hide.”

In that moment, she was dazzling.

Brighter than the sun itself.

The way she lifted her brow and met his gaze hooked itself deep into Xie Zheng’s heart.

He looked at her for a long moment.

Then simply said,

“Come with me.”