Chapter 41
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
Following Chu Zhaoyi’s gaze, Fu Nian first paused. Then, his body shivered instinctively.
He was intimately familiar with these iron chains, and the memories associated with them had long been etched into his bones.
Feeling somewhat nervous, he swallowed and asked, “What does Your Majesty mean by this?”
“First, I’ll give you a chance to explain. Regarding Fu Zhen, how much contact have you had with this person?” Chu Zhaoyi’s tone remained cold.
Fu Nian: “…”
He knew that Chu Zhaoyi was probing, and maintaining silence would only add fuel to the fire. The fact that he could ask about Fu Zhen’s name probably meant that Chu Zhaoyi already knew something. If he answered “never heard of him,” it would only make his intentions obvious.
“If Your Majesty is referring to the gentleman who often wears moon-white robes, Your subordinate has had a few brief encounters with him.”
“A few brief encounters mean how many encounters? The specific times, locations, and what was discussed each time.”
Fu Nian fell silent and could only bow his body even lower.
The midnight was already quiet, and the rustling of leaves outside could be clearly heard.
The two of them remained deadlocked like this. In the end, Chu Zhaoyi spoke first.
“Engaging in secret communication with an outsider, under the charge of conspiracy, one could be executed immediately. I questioned you personally in the middle of the night because I didn’t intend to apply the punishment of beheading for this matter. I just want an honest confession.”
Fu Nian was still prostrated on the ground, his mind racing quickly.
Chu Zhaoyi had a knack for breaking through psychological defenses; he had learned this countless times in his past life.
“Regarding the exact times and locations, Your subordinate doesn’t remember too well. Also, not much was discussed—”
But this time, Fu Nian was cut off by an irritable voice.
“After the Mid-Autumn Festival, he came to see you once. We don’t yet know the topic of that discussion. You’ve slipped out of the palace three or four times. Do you think the palace guards are mere decorations? And last night, you left the palace twice heading towards Fu Zhen’s residence. Am I wrong?” Chu Zhaoyi’s voice suppressed his anger, his hands pressed against the desk, his fists clenched. His handsome brows were knitted together, “Do you call that ‘a few brief encounters’?”
Cold sweat had already streamed down his back.
Last night, when he was stealing the medicine, Fu Nian had confirmed repeatedly that there was no one around. He was confident in his ability to sense danger; even if some of the prescription medicines were stolen, it shouldn’t have been discovered so quickly.
And when he left the palace, he had also double-checked that no shadow guards had detected his presence.
How did Chu Zhaoyi investigate so quickly?
Fu Nian rapidly reflected on where he might have revealed a flaw.
Before he could figure out why, a sharp, low voice sounded from above again.
“Instead of trying to recall where you were discovered, think about how you’ve managed to leave the palace every time without being caught. How the medicine theft went unnoticed. How all these forbidden activities have gone so smoothly.” Chu Zhaoyi’s voice remained unfluctuating, then he paused for a long moment before continuing,
With that said, realization suddenly struck Fu Nian.
Indeed, it seemed that since entering Chengyuan Hall… everything had gone unusually smoothly.
But in his previous life, he had grown accustomed to disregarding palace rules. Even when the late Emperor was alive, he could enter and exit the palace gates without alerting any guards. As for stealing the medicine… that had been excessively easy.
Reflecting on various details from before, he realized that there were many instances of overly fortunate events that he hadn’t paid attention to.
“Daring to defy royal edicts, I didn’t expect that when Fu Zhen speaks, it actually has an effect on you. To the point where you’re willing to risk death in the palace to steal medicine for him. What benefits did he give you?” Seeing him remain silent, not looking up, Chu Zhaoyi suddenly squatted down, leaning closer to him to continue his probing, “Tell me, what benefits did he offer you? What made you give up your prospects of promotion in the imperial court and side with a powerless and insignificant wandering sorcerer?”
The omen of a furious outburst.
Fu Nian knew this man’s temperament. Even a second before an outburst, he could still speak with a smiling demeanor.
Before he could decide how to answer, suddenly, his collar was violently grabbed.
Fu Nian was forced to lift his head and face the visage teetering on the brink of rage.
With just one glance, Fu Nian hurriedly averted his gaze. He saw the hand clutching his collar, the knuckles white, obviously applying considerable force.
“What benefits did he give you?” The deep roar resonated once more.
“Nothing… of the sort…” Suspended in mid-air, Fu Nian felt uncomfortable, but he could only reply in a hoarse voice, stubbornly maintaining his stance.
“Refusing to speak? Then let me tell you. Why did Fu Zhen specifically approach you? Fu Zhen has a younger junior brother, who was born with a disability, missing both arm and leg. He once, driven by selfish desires, nearly killed his own junior brother, nearly tore his heart out; at that time, the junior brother was barely alive. Several years later, his junior brother died in an accident, and that’s when Fu Zhen began his fake remorse. You, on the other hand, conveniently lost your limbs, resembling his junior brother to some extent, looking foolish, which amused him. That’s why he got close to you,” Chu Zhaoyi’s voice continued, sizing up his silhouette and head. The angle made his facial expression invisible. Gazing for a while, Chu Zhaoyi tightened his grip on Fu Nian’s collar once more, “Fu Zhen must have given you some money, emotionally making you taste sweetness, abusing the privileges within the palace to have you do some small tasks for him. He would promise you some unrealistic things, attempting to deceive you into sacrificing yourself for him. As long as you truly turn against your former loyalty, believe in him, you might end up as his puppet, losing your humanity and ghost-like existence. After exhausting your usefulness, you might be dissected and discarded like a pig, or worse… have your heart torn out to be fed to vultures.”
After Chu Zhaoyi finished speaking, seeing that he had no reaction, he continued, “I’m telling you all this in the hope that you will abandon the darkness and choose the light. Back then, I had some interaction with Fu Zhen’s unfortunate junior brother, and he was deceived to the point of being lost. But he had no intention of plotting rebellion. Both of them were pitiable. As long as you can turn over a new leaf, it’s better than facing execution without knowing the reasons behind it. Of course, if I have spoken to this point where even a guard like you refuses to admit, then what comes next…”
Fu Nian remained silent.
Turning someone into a pig, or tearing out their heart for vultures… his senior brother had never done such things.
Accepting money and orders was just that, accepting money and orders. There wasn’t so much convoluted intent behind it.
Even if he had truly changed his nature and was capable of such deeds, he was certain his senior brother would never do it to him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have implanted the Obedience Gu in him back then.
In this lifetime, he only acknowledged the benefactor who had implanted the Gu in him. If it truly was his senior brother who had implanted it, regardless of the outcome, he would have no complaints.
After a long silence, Fu Nian decided to concede first, taking a step back before figuring out his next move.
He had experienced the outcome of provoking Chu Zhaoyi with his stubbornness in his previous life. The sensation of the shackles and restraints wasn’t pleasant.
“Your subordinate… indeed, your subordinate was momentarily misled. I didn’t expect you to know everything,” Fu Nian said, intentionally sounding frightened, “Your subordinate is willing to turn over a new leaf…”
“Admitting it?” Chu Zhaoyi faced his candid response with a hint of skepticism in his tone.
Fu Nian clenched his teeth.
Could it be that the whole time was just a test for him?
But the way he presented it… it really seemed like he was setting a trap for him from the beginning, closing in on him just as he was about to switch sides.
During the silence, he saw Chu Zhaoyi pick up a blank piece of silk and throw it in front of him.
“Now that you’ve admitted it, you need to detail all your actions over the past days. Start by providing all the specifics of your meetings with Fu Zhen. Depending on the extent of your confession, your punishment will be determined.” The tone might have initially appeared unchanging, but Fu Nian could sense that the fury that had been strung taut had already loosened significantly.
Fu Nian lowered his head, gazing at the empty silk.
In his previous life, he had written with the assistance of prosthetics. However, the current damaged ones weren’t sufficient for such intricate movements as holding a pen… After a brief hesitation, he finally picked up the pen with his left hand.
“Not accustomed to using your left hand, then use your hand to dip the ink. Don’t serve today. If you don’t finish writing, you won’t serve tomorrow either. I’ll write in the Imperial Study. You can leave once you’re done.” Chu Zhaoyi finished speaking and then glanced at the apprehensive figure seated at the table. In his gaze, apart from suspicion, there was an indiscernible emotion. “Li Gonggong, have someone guard the Imperial Study today…”
As Chu Zhaoyi left, Fu Nian noticed that he whispered something into Gao Gonggong’s ear before departing.
Once it was confirmed that Chu Zhaoyi had left, Fu Nian’s first action was to piece together the torn fabric on his body.
The flint stone, the blade, and other items he had brought in had been taken by Chu Zhaoyi. Now, he was left with nothing but tattered clothes.
Confronted with the empty silk in front of him, Fu Nian fell into silence.
He was still concerned about Fu Zhen’s situation. When he left that day, he had noticed a significant improvement in Fu Zhen’s condition. However, he had no idea about what had happened afterward.
Moreover, on that day, Fu Zhen refused to tell him the true reason behind the poisoning that occurred many years ago. He only provided vague information, which gave Fu Nian a faint feeling that he had been implanted with a Gu for him.
The more he thought about it, the more agitated Fu Nian became.
Originally, he hadn’t intended to genuinely reflect on his actions. He had only intended to soften and appease Chu Zhaoyi’s anger.
Now that Chu Zhaoyi seemed to know about his multiple meetings with Fu Zhen… Fu Nian decided to start fabricating details from those key time points. Well, not fabricating, he corrected himself, just start to write.
During this period, Fu Nian had attempted several times to get up and approach Chu Zhaoyi’s desk to look for useful information.
However, every time he stood up, some palace eunuch would appear out of nowhere and gently “persuade” him to sit back down.
The information was right in front of his eyes, but Fu Nian never got the opportunity to actually touch it.
After enduring until noon without Chu Zhaoyi returning to the study, Fu Nian planned to take advantage of the lunch break, when the guards might be less vigilant, and discreetly slip a letter to Fu Zhen, using the excuse of relieving himself.
At the very least, he wanted to know if Fu Zhen was currently in good health.
If he were to have another episode…
Hearing the sound of the palace maids and eunuchs exchanging their waist tokens during the shift change, Fu Nian set down his ink-stained fingers.
Once he confirmed that there was no one nearby, he leaped up onto the rafters.
He remembered that there was a brick in the study that could be pushed open from the inside to the outside, but it could only be pushed from the inside. One purpose was for the actions of the Imperial Guards, and another was to allow the Emperor to escape when necessary.
Just as he leaped onto the rafters and before he could steady himself, he heard a faint voice from behind.
“Guard Lian, His Majesty has given orders, you are not allowed to leave.”
Fu Nian turned his head and found a young boy dressed in the usual attire of the Shadow Guards, his face covered. Judging by his exposed eyes, he appeared quite young, probably having joined the Imperial Guard after Fu Nian had left the palace.
“Please return.” The young boy’s voice was very polite as he looked at Fu Nian steadily.
Fu Nian: …
By comparison, his previous experiences had indeed gone a bit too smoothly.
However, at the moment, he urgently needed to contact Fu Zhen…
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
