Bai Li’s Dream – Chapter 150

Chapter 150: A Sudden Thought

The Lantern Festival was approaching, and aside from the capital city being filled with lanterns, Xuzhou City was also a dazzling sight.

Even in the dim and timeless prison of the Xuzhou government office, a small flower lantern sat on Zhang Ze’s desk.

The desk was piled high with interrogation records, but Zhang Ze didn’t look at them. Instead, he leaned back in his chair and lazily stared at the lantern. Whether out of boredom or finding some amusement, he sat up straight and poked the lantern with the end of his brush. The lantern spun, and the old man depicted on it began to lead his ox forward. In the light of the lantern, it was incredibly lifelike.

Zhang Ze couldn’t help but smile.

Perhaps Zhang Ze’s expression had been too frightening these days, so seeing him smile suddenly, the head jailer of the government prison couldn’t help but chime in: “This was sent by the fourth son of the prefect. It’s made by a famous craftsman in our Xuzhou. His lanterns are extremely sought after. The fourth son said he wanted to hold a lantern festival especially for Inspector General.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Ze’s brush pierced through the lantern paper with force. The paper, soaked in lamp oil, instantly ignited. With another poke, the lantern fell to the ground, flames blazing.

“It looks better this way.” He examined the burning lantern and hummed in agreement.

The head jailer’s face stiffened. Although he had been dealing with these people from the Censorate for almost a month, he was still as terrified as he was when he first met them.

Zhang Ze was truly unpredictable and frightening.

“Yes, yes.” He stammered, trying to please him, “It’s a festival, it should be lively and prosperous.”

Zhang Ze chuckled and tossed the brush aside, standing up.

The head jailer flinched and subconsciously took a step back.

Zhang Ze paid no attention to the head jailer’s fear and called for his attendant.

“We’ve been up all night, it’s almost dawn.” He said, “See if there’s any progress.”

“Yes, sir,” the attendant replied, leading Zhang Ze deeper into the prison.

The head jailer didn’t follow to serve them. Although it was the government prison, since the Censorate arrived before the new year, it had belonged to them. Even the jailers couldn’t enter.

As the prison doors opened one after another, the sounds of wailing and weeping drifted out, mixed with the stench of blood. It was like a scene from hell. Even the head jailer, who had spent half his life in prison and was accustomed to torture, couldn’t help but shiver and retreat further. He was just a figurehead here anyway.

Outside the prison, the night was thick. In the flickering light of torches, the constables on duty were huddled together, whispering to ward off drowsiness. Seeing the head jailer emerge, they asked in hushed tones, “He’s gone in again? No rest even at night?”

The head jailer pursed his lips and shook his head, signaling them not to say more. He clicked his tongue: “I’ve only heard about how terrifying the Censorate’s methods are, but this time I’ve seen it with my own eyes. It’s truly unspeakable. To be honest, I don’t even dare to walk into the prison now, my legs go weak.”

Several constables nodded in agreement. “Four bodies were carried out yesterday alone.” “Just wait, who knows how many there’ll be this morning.”

Someone else asked in a low voice, “What exactly did the Duke of Ding’an do? If he’s truly guilty, just sentence him and be done with it. Why is this interrogation going on and on?”

Did the Censorate need to go through so much trouble to convict someone?

Whatever they said, went.

The head jailer shook his head: “It seems they’re trying to find out about someone, trying to pry open his mouth.”

One constable looked shocked: “The Duke of Ding’an’s mouth is really tight. They haven’t been able to pry it open after all this time.”

Although the Duke of Ding’an was from here, he hadn’t grown up here. He only returned occasionally for ancestral worship, and even then, he put on airs, demanding the prefect arrange guards to welcome and protect him along the way.

They, as constables, had only glimpsed him from the roadside. The Duke of Ding’an rode a tall horse, dressed in fine clothes, looking very imposing. But his face was pale and plump, his skin delicate and smooth, not someone who looked like he could endure hardship.

To think he could be as unyielding as a rock under Zhang Ze’s hands!

In the largest cell, Zhang Ze sat down and glanced at the Duke of Ding’an hanging from the torture pillar inside, like a tattered sack.

He was silent and motionless, as if he were already dead.

“Still not talking?” He said, looking at the record handed to him by his attendant. It was filled with how he cursed the late emperor and the current emperor in private, how he had attempted to curry favor with Empress Jiang by sending many gifts, but failed, and how he resented the court and hated almost every official, especially the Marquis of Dongyang’s household. It was all insignificant nonsense.

The attendant’s face also showed helplessness: “He even confessed to his grandfather’s disrespectful words from back then. His grandfather wanted to become emperor—”

Zhang Ze scoffed and tossed the record to the ground, looking at the Duke of Ding’an: “Lu Huai, when exactly did you collude with the remnants of Empress Jiang’s faction!”

As he spoke, the attendant standing beside the torture pillar raised a whip and lashed at the Duke of Ding’an.

The Duke of Ding’an swayed like a rag, letting out a scream.

The scream was weak, but it proved he was still alive.

Zhang Ze wouldn’t let him die before he got the answers he wanted.

The half-dead Duke of Ding’an neither cursed nor begged anymore. The whip seemed to be a trigger, as he began to mutter, “I’ll talk, I’ll talk, I’ll talk… I pushed my cousin into the lake and drowned him, he didn’t fall in himself. He was three years old then, but my grandmother praised him for being good-looking, and I was angry.”

The attendant holding the whip looked at Zhang Ze, his expression somewhat helpless, asking if he should strike again.

Zhang Ze waved his hand impatiently, ignoring the Duke of Ding’an’s mutterings about his childhood misdeeds.

“What about the women? Any new developments?” He asked.

The attendant flipped through the latest interrogation record on the table: “Qin Sibin still claims to be unaware, only wanting the money and land promised by the Madam of Ding’an. She also said she hates the Madam, a useless fool who only married into the Duke’s household because of her slightly better background. The Madam said she wanted the Marquis of Dongyang’s heir to never marry, to be her son-in-law forever, and also admitted that Third Miss Lu was indeed sickly from a young age.”

Zhang Ze frowned: “What about Lu Jin? Have you investigated the background of her maid? Have you apprehended and interrogated all the relatives and friends of Second Master Lu?”

“We’ve investigated everyone, even the maid’s grandparents,” the attendant said, shaking his head. “Still nothing useful.”

Zhang Ze turned around, looking at the figure in the opposite cell, a shadow like a ghost.

✿✿✿

“The fake silk flower was made by a maid serving the Madam. Their purpose was to frame the new young madam of the Marquis of Dongyang’s heir,” the attendant said from behind. “Governor, based on all the testimonies, it seems there really was no involvement from the remnants of Empress Jiang’s faction.”

During every interrogation, every house search, every item inspection, Zhang Ze had the sorcerers he had gathered and Wang Tong present to ensure no sorcery was at play.

Indeed, they hadn’t found any suspicious points.

Could it really be an accident?

“The maid made the fake silk flower. The Empress’s silk flower was extremely crude and simple, very easy to replicate.”

“She hated the young madam of the Marquis of Dongyang, and also hated the uselessness of the Duke and Madam of Ding’an.”

“This time she also wanted to use the Duke and Madam. That way, even if the Marquis of Dongyang’s heir was angry, he would be angry at the Duke, and she would come out looking like the good guy.”

As he listened to the attendant recounting the testimonies behind him, Zhang Ze went through it all again in his mind. When he heard this part, he frowned and interrupted.

“How was she going to come out looking like the good guy?”

The attendant flipped through the record and said: “By taking the real one to save the young madam of the Marquis of Dongyang, claiming she had it all along.” He added, “The Madam of Ding’an also said she borrowed a real silk flower.”

Zhang Ze stroked his chin: “How did this whole thing start?”

The maid Xueliu, who was strangled to death by Qin Sibin, took the silk flower to the Madam of Ding’an, saying that the young madam of the Marquis of Dongyang’s heir had destroyed the Empress’s gift, a heinous crime.

Then the Madam of Ding’an and Lu Jin, eager for the opportunity, went along with it, bribing Qin Sibin to take Xueliu to file a complaint.

The fake silk flower.

Zhang Ze paused.

“If the fake flower the maid brought into the palace had no issues, then was the one taken from the Marquis of Dongyang’s household to the Duke of Ding’an’s household also fake?”

The attendant was taken aback: “They said the maid also deeply hated the young madam of the Marquis of Dongyang.”

“So she dared to frame her?” Zhang Ze countered, “Why did she have to use the silk flower? If someone hasn’t seen the real one, how would they think of a fake one?”

You have to see the real one to think of a fake one? The attendant understood: “Governor, you’re saying that the maid Xueliu actually saw the young madam of the Marquis of Dongyang damage the Empress’s silk flower, so she came up with this plan.”

But the Empress had verified it at the time.

“She sent someone to retrieve it, and the young madam of the Marquis of Dongyang sent the silk flower over.”

It was undamaged and real.

Zhang Ze turned to look at him.

“The fake one had no issues, what about the real one?”

As the thought flashed through his mind, it was as if something shattered in his head. He shuddered, his hair standing on end.

He suddenly remembered, Bai Ying’s silk flower craft was a family tradition.

If the older sister knew it, then the younger sister…

“I suddenly find something very strange,” Zhang Ze said.

The attendant, puzzled, asked, “What’s strange?”

Zhang Ze looked at the Duke of Ding’an hanging from the torture pillar.

“It seems like every time I encounter something related to the young madam of the Marquis of Dongyang, I get sidetracked.”

It takes me a long time to figure it out.

“Could this also be the work of sorcery?”

“My lord, my lord.”

Zhou Jingyun heard the call and felt a gentle nudge. He abruptly opened his eyes, seeing the dimness within the bed curtains. For a moment, he was disoriented, unsure of the time. Then, he snapped back to reality, propping himself up and looking at his side.

Zhuang Li, on the pillow beside him, was looking at him with wide, blinking eyes.

“You…” Zhou Jingyun started, his voice still a little hoarse from being startled awake, but his tone was firm. “Ah Li, what’s wrong?” he asked repeatedly, “Didn’t sleep well? Had a nightmare?”

Zhuang Li smiled at him apologetically: “It’s nothing, it’s nothing. I just suddenly thought of something.”

Dawn was just a moment away, but she hadn’t waited, waking him up directly.

It must be something very important.

Zhou Jingyun nodded: “Tell me.”

Zhuang Li looked at him: “I need to see Shen Qing.”