Chapter 290: Cold and Desolate

With the proclamation of the new Emperor, the atmosphere of anxiety that had gripped the capital dissipated.

Although officials were still being investigated, there was no bloodbath like the one that followed the execution of Empress Jiang. Moreover, the arrests and interrogations were not being conducted by the Censorate, but by the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Capital Prefecture.

Being arrested and charged was terrifying, but at least there was no fear of false accusations.

And indeed, some of the arrested officials were released after a few days.

Furthermore, the Li and Shangguan families, who had been under siege, were indeed stripped of their possessions. However, the seal on the Marquis of Dongyang’s Residence was removed. Although Zhou Jingyun had not been released, and it was said that the case was still under investigation, it had been determined that his family and clan were not involved.

Thus, it was evident that this court upheaval would not be like the previous ones, where families were wiped out and three generations or even nine generations were implicated.

After all, Zhang Ze had been arrested.

Seeing this situation, the people were not only unafraid but even privately celebrated the benefits of this court upheaval.

The capital gradually returned to its bustling state in early autumn.

The Censorate, however, became cold and desolate in early autumn.

Because it was not involved in the investigation, and because many of its officials had been arrested in connection with the Zhang Ze case, the government office was deserted, with very few people present. The prison cells were also empty, and except during mealtimes, not even a jailer could be seen.

A deathly silence pervaded the gloomy prison cell, as if even the cycle of day and night had ceased.

As the stillness was broken by the sound of soft footsteps, Zhou Jingyun, who was sitting on the bed, opened his eyes. In the perpetually dim cell, where day and night were indistinguishable, the faint lamplight on the wall flickered, making his vision even more blurred, like the shimmering surface of a lake. The next moment, someone seemed to be walking towards him across the water.

Her dress fluttered, her figure graceful, like a lilac flower emerging from the water’s surface.

To suddenly encounter such a scene in this gloomy prison cell, it must be either a dream or a ghost. How could any normal person not be dazed?

Zhou Jingyun thought to himself, fortunately, he was already used to it.

“Didn’t you come yesterday?” he said, with a hint of reproach in his voice.

Bai Li set down the food box in her hand. “I know. I didn’t plan to come today. I went to see Madam. I went to the Marquis’s Residence, and Madam was having mutton ball rice. I thought you liked it too, so I brought you a portion.”

Zhou Jingyun watched as Bai Li took out the tableware from the food box and said, “Mother does like to eat this.” He smiled. “To think of eating this, it seems Mother is in a good mood.”

He then looked at Bai Li and expressed his sincere gratitude.

“Thank you for your trouble.”

That day, when he was being taken away and saw Bai Li, he stopped her from approaching him and forbade her from interfering with his arrest. But after he was taken away, Bai Li did not leave. Instead, she went to the Marquis’s Residence.

That evening, Bai Li came to the Censorate prison cell to tell him about the situation at home.

“Don’t worry. I told Madam the whole story. His Majesty is angry now and acting recklessly. After the investigation, he will know that you were forced.”

“When I went, Madam was still in good spirits and had the energy to scold you, saying she knew this day would come.”

“I sent Chun Yue to tell Aunt, so she wouldn’t be worried at home not knowing what’s going on.”

Then she told the Marchioness of Dongyang about his situation in the prison cell: he was being held at the Censorate, but he was not being tortured and was awaiting questioning and verification of his testimony.

She ran back and forth, relaying messages, urging them all not to panic.

How could she not be anxious?

After ten days, there was finally good news that brought relief to everyone.

The Emperor had abdicated, and Li Yu had become the new Emperor.

The seal on the Marquis’s Residence was removed, and they were free again.

Yesterday, Bai Li was the first to come and tell him the news. Today, she went to the Marquis’s Residence and came back to tell him the latest developments.

“The Marquis left the Residence for his villa in a carriage that very day. Madam had the kitchen staff go out early in the morning to buy fresh vegetables and meat, and instructed everyone in the household to eat and drink heartily, to make up for the fear and anxiety of the past few days.”

That’s why there was fresh mutton ball rice.

Zhou Jingyun listened and sighed softly. “I’ve implicated them.”

Although the seal on the Residence had been removed, he was still locked up in prison, and his family must still be worried.

Bai Li filled a bowl of rice and handed it to him. “You’ll have to wait a little longer. Cases that go to the Ministry of Justice take a long time to investigate.”

“I know. Don’t worry,” Zhou Jingyun said, taking the bowl and chopsticks.

Bai Li laughed. “You’re the one in prison, and you’re telling me not to worry.”

“When something happens, the ones who worry the most are those who care about me,” Zhou Jingyun said, glancing at her.

Bai Li also glanced at him. “That’s because you did what you did because of me.”

“That was my own choice, it has nothing to do with you,” Zhou Jingyun interrupted her. “I chose to do this, and I will bear the consequences myself. I don’t blame anyone.”

Bai Li was about to say something but suddenly smiled. “You’re right. You and I don’t need to be so formal.”

She meant that she and he were not strangers. Zhou Jingyun also smiled and did not continue the topic, gesturing to Bai Li. “You should have some rice too.” He smiled. “Mother didn’t let you eat, did she?”

Bai Li pouted. “She didn’t. She was sarcastic to me, saying she couldn’t afford to entertain the Empress.”

Zhou Jingyun laughed and pointed to the food box. “Even though she didn’t entertain you, the food box is for two.”

Bai Li smiled. “Madam is all bark and no bite.”

Zhou Jingyun watched as she indeed filled a bowl of rice and ate heartily, and couldn’t help but laugh. “It seems the Empress didn’t eat her fill in the palace.”

Bai Li raised her head. “What Empress? You know it’s fake.”

It was just a joke. If the Marchioness of Dongyang could tease her about it, why couldn’t he? Zhou Jingyun thought to himself, watching Bai Li frown. He smiled and reached out, using his finger to wipe away a grain of rice that had fallen from her lips as she spoke.

“I know,” he said, repeating, “I know.”

The sudden touch of his finger on her lips made Bai Li pause. She looked at Zhou Jingyun, who had leaned slightly closer as he reached out.

Zhou Jingyun also came to his senses only after his finger touched her lips, and he froze.

But their eyes met, and the atmosphere in the dim prison cell became strange.

To break the awkwardness, they both spoke at the same time.

“That—”

But they both stopped as soon as they spoke, as if they didn’t know what to say.

This made it even more awkward.

Bai Li suddenly laughed, her bright eyes sparkling in the dim light.

“Is there any more on my face?” she asked.

Zhou Jingyun gently brushed his finger, which had been resting on Bai Li’s lips, across her face before retracting it.

“No more,” he said with a smile.

Bai Li pouted and lowered her head, eating her rice in big mouthfuls.

Zhou Jingyun also stopped talking and lowered his head to eat.

The prison cell fell silent again, the lamplight flickering, the night soft.

A rustling sound echoed in the cell, someone shaking the bars vigorously.

“Zhou Jingyun, Zhou Jingyun!”

Zhou Jingyun, lying on the bed, did not open his eyes and only hummed in response. “Zhang Ze, if you need anything, just shout loudly for the jailer.”

In the next cell, Zhang Ze stood up, gripping the bars, his eyes gleaming in the darkness. “The Empress came, didn’t she? The Empress has been here, hasn’t she?”

Zhou Jingyun said calmly, “Zhang Ze, your Empress Bai Ying is dead.”

Zhang Ze sneered. “She’s not my Empress. Zhou Jingyun, you know who I’m talking about!”

✿✿✿

He looked around intently, sniffing the air.

“The Empress must have come.”

“I smell it, a lovely fragrance.”

“The Empress must have come more than once.”

“Why, why won’t the Empress see me?”

He shook the bars violently, the lock on the cell door rattling, his voice growing increasingly frantic.

“I’ve done so much for the Empress, why won’t she come and see me!”

Zhou Jingyun sat up abruptly and shouted, “Zhang Ze, all the Empresses are dead.”

Zhang Ze sneered. “The Empress is not dead. I saw her with my own eyes.”

“Is what you see real?” Zhou Jingyun said, getting up and walking over to him, looking at him through the bars. “Zhang Ze, you’ve fallen into your own delusion.”

“Zhou Jingyun, how can you say that? Haven’t you seen her?” Zhang Ze said.

Zhou Jingyun nodded. “Yes, I have. But it’s easy for people to hallucinate because of their obsessions. What’s real is real, and what’s fake is fake. I won’t mistake a hallucination for reality.”

Zhang Ze gripped the bars and glared at him. “It’s you! If you hadn’t been thinking about the Empress all the time, she wouldn’t have appeared. Why aren’t you dead yet? I’ve already testified that you colluded with Bai Ying to kill the Empress. Why hasn’t His Majesty killed you yet!”

Zhou Jingyun smiled. “Will His Majesty believe the words of a villain like you?” He turned and walked back to the bed. “Stop deluding yourself. The dead are dead, and the evil deeds done are done. It’s not about doing it for someone else, you only did it for yourself.”

“Of course I did it for the Empress. The Empress saw it all, that’s why I’m still alive.” Zhang Ze said, looking around and laughing. “I know, it was the Empress who saved me, it was the Empress who kept me alive. Empress—Empress—”

He shouted loudly.

“I’ll live well and serve you.”

He paced back and forth in the cell, his voice filled with joy, sometimes laughing, sometimes muttering to himself.

Zhou Jingyun sat on the bed and watched him. This wasn’t the first time Zhang Ze had been like this. When he was transferred from the Ministry of Justice prison to this one, Zhang Ze was already here.

Zhang Ze was mostly asleep, occasionally waking up. When he was awake, he seemed lucid, recognizing him and knowing what had happened. But he didn’t seem entirely sane, because—

“Ah! Who’s there!”

Zhang Ze’s slightly panicked cry suddenly came from the next cell.

Zhou Jingyun looked over and saw him stop, his body tense, staring at a corner, as if there was someone there. But in the dim light, the corner was empty.

Zhang Ze clenched his fists and slowly walked over, bending down to look. Then his voice was no longer fearful, but filled with a cold laugh.

“Grand Tutor Gao, what do you want?”

He seemed to be talking to someone in the corner, then burst out laughing.

“Seeking revenge? Do you think I’m afraid of you? Yes, I killed your whole family, so what? You were just unlucky—”

He said, suddenly swinging his arm as if drawing a sword.

“I can kill you once, I can kill you twice!”

With that, he slashed with his imaginary sword, the lamplight flickering. Zhang Ze stood there, his expression arrogant, his eyes sweeping across the cell.

“Ghosts and demons, do you think I’m afraid of you? I, Zhang Ze, am not a coward!”

He patted his empty waist and paced around the cell, sometimes slashing, sometimes sitting on the ground laughing heartily, as if he were receiving praise from a crowd.

Zhou Jingyun watched quietly. Zhang Ze could no longer distinguish between reality and illusion.

Perhaps he preferred to live in his illusions rather than face reality.

“You—” Zhang Ze, who was sitting on the ground, suddenly froze, staring in one direction, his voice hesitant. “Father?”

As he spoke, he stood up, frowning with displeasure.

“What are you doing here?”

He said, shaking his hand dismissively.

“Don’t pull me, I’m busy.”

“Your leg hurts? Lie down, don’t move, it won’t hurt if you lie down.”

“What’s the big deal about losing a leg? You were living like this even with both legs. But now it’s different.”

“Father, your son is going to the capital to become an official, and then I’ll rise to the top, with wealth, power, and prestige.”

“Let go, stop pulling my clothes, Father, you—”

As he spoke, Zhang Ze suddenly reached up and grabbed his neck, his face turning blue.

“You’re choking me, let go—”

He struggled as if someone was climbing on him, he thrashed his body, but he couldn’t shake off the person choking him. Until he could no longer speak, only coughing, he suddenly collapsed to the ground.

Zhou Jingyun quickly stood up and rushed over. Had Zhang Ze strangled himself?

Bai Li had said that Zhu Shan had immersed himself in a dream and killed himself.

He looked at Zhang Ze lying motionless on the ground. Just as he was about to call for help, Zhang Ze’s stiff body twitched, curling up, his mouth muttering incoherently.

He was still alive.

He didn’t know what kind of dream he had immersed himself in again.

Zhou Jingyun shook his head. Living in illusions wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

He turned and touched the marks carved on the wall. Although day and night were indistinguishable in the cell, he would carve a mark every time Bai Li came.

Since he had been in this cell, Bai Li had come to see him every day.

So he knew clearly that today was today, and when today passed, tomorrow would come, and Bai Li would come with it.

Zhou Jingyun smiled, his eyes flickering the next moment as he saw a figure sitting by the bed.

The figure gradually became clearer.

The person was holding a teapot, pouring tea into a cup on the table.

The tea was clear, the aroma of tea and incense mingled.

“Marquis’s Heir,” Xuanyangzi said, “Since you’ve come to my temple, have some of my tea.”

Zhou Jingyun looked at him, his body stiffening instantly. He lunged forward, reaching for the teacup, but Xuanyangzi stopped his hand first.

“Marquis’s Heir, tea is for drinking,” he said. “Don’t always think about throwing it in people’s faces.”

Zhou Jingyun grabbed Xuanyangzi’s wrist. He thought he was using a lot of force, but he couldn’t feel any strength.

Ah Li had said that in dreams, you couldn’t feel pain or strength.

He was in a dream.

Why?

Previously, when such a big incident happened in the palace, he had guarded Xuanyangzi for a day, and Xuanyangzi hadn’t entered a dream. Now that the Emperor had abdicated and the Prince of Chu had ascended the throne, everything had settled down, why was Xuanyangzi—

Zhou Jingyun gripped Xuanyangzi’s wrist tightly.

“What happened in the palace?”

What happened to Ah Li?

Did something happen to Ah Li!