Unlike the illustrious Court of Justice, the Northern Army Prison appeared from the outside as nothing more than an ordinary high-walled mansion—albeit with more guards stationed outside, denser cheval de frise stone piers, and most notably, two three-meter-tall Prison Ox statues flanking the entrance. These were carved from rough, pitch-black bluestone, yet their fanged mouths and sharp claws were cast in menacing bronze, giving them a ferocious appearance.
The overseer of the Northern Army Prison was a perpetually smiling, portly middle-aged man—unremarkable in appearance and obscure in reputation. However, judging by the grave respect with which the Third Prince and Ling Buyi treated him, Shao Shang guessed he must possess extraordinary qualities.
Among all levels of criminal offenses, whether viewed vertically or horizontally, rebellion stood unchallenged as the most severe. Of course, depending on the degree of execution, rebellion could be further categorized into: plotting rebellion (intent), conspiring treason (civil), and raising armed revolt (military). As the highest crime of the highest rank, Shao Shang had to walk all the way to the deepest part of the prison before she finally saw Peng Zhen, thoroughly battered by the "Nanny Cui."
Old Peng had originally intended to express deep remorse—claiming he never wanted to rebel, that he must have been bewitched, perhaps even ensnared by some villain’s sorcery. Unfortunately, the two young lords presiding over the interrogation today had no interest in his grievances and went straight to questioning him about Wang Chun.
Peng Zhen gnashed his teeth. "That coward Wang Chun! He sent me so many letters, each one full of grandiose promises, but in the end, all he did was demand this and that. He swindled me out of silver, grain, and supplies, yet there wasn’t the slightest sign of action! I must have been cursed for eight lifetimes to have ever trusted him! Shouchun is prosperous—money is the last thing I lack. Starting from Wang’s fourth letter, I sent batch after batch of funds and provisions to the Qian'an Royal Manor! Damn it all, it was all fed to dogs!"
"Aside from Wang Chun’s letters, did you have any direct contact with anyone from the Qian'an Royal Manor?" the Third Prince asked.
Peng Zhen spat, "Every time I secretly sent money and supplies over, their people just took them and left without so much as a word of thanks—those bastards! But since this wasn’t something I could make a fuss about, I had to swallow my anger. I even consoled myself, thinking they were just being cautious. But who knew… Hmph! A bunch of greedy gluttons who only take and never give!"
"So, what Wang Chun demanded of you in his letters was to continuously supply the Qian'an Royal Manor with money and provisions?" Ling Buyi pressed.
Peng Zhen nodded. "Exactly. At first, I sent a few shipments, but later, when I saw how rudely the Qian'an Manor’s people behaved when collecting them, I refused to send more. Until… cough … until I lost my mind and rebelled. Thinking it wouldn’t hurt to have another ally, I even sent the two thousand catties of refined copper that Ma Rong had offered up. But once again, it vanished without a trace. By the time I was defeated and captured, those bastards from the Qian'an Manor still hadn’t lifted a finger!"
Shao Shang gazed up at the spiderweb-covered black ceiling and murmured, "This sounds more like a scam. Is the Qian'an Royal Manor that strapped for funds?"
The Third Prince rebuked her sharply. "An army marches on its stomach. Warfare consumes resources faster than anything else. For the Qian'an Royal Manor to amass such vast amounts of money and provisions—isn’t that clear evidence of treason? To dismiss it as mere fraud is downplaying the severity!"
Shao Shang blinked in surprise. "Why is Your Highness so angry? This concubine understands all that. What I meant was—because the Qian'an Royal Manor is plotting treason, they’re short on funds, so they resort to swindling money."
The Third Prince stiffened, then forcefully flicked his wide sleeves and turned his head away.Shao Shang rubbed her head. She realized the Third Prince and Royal Uncle shared a peculiar similarity—their triggers for anger were both quite strange.
Ling Buyi narrowed his eyes in contemplation, his handsome gaze deep and unfathomable. Then he continued his questioning: "After you were escorted to the Capital City, did you contact Wang Chun?"
Peng Zhen trembled with rage. "It concerned the lives of my entire family—dozens of people—so of course I contacted him! But that bastard Wang Chun refused to plead for me no matter what! He even sent someone to deceive me, saying that as long as I didn’t expose his involvement, he’d protect my family’s lives! To hell with that! After being tricked by him to this point, did he really think I’d believe his lies?"
Ling Buyi said, "So instead, you turned against him and reported Wang Chun to His Majesty."
Peng Zhen sneered. "If I hadn’t been so deluded as to plot rebellion, how could I have fallen for that old dog Wang Chun’s tricks? Do you think that Wang bastard is any good? At this point, if I stubbornly kept his secrets, my family would only be at greater risk of being silenced. But if I laid everything bare, my women and children might still have a sliver of hope!"
Ling Buyi gave a slight nod.
The Third Prince stood with his hands behind his back and smirked disdainfully. "Minister Peng, you’re quite the clever one to have realized that."
Shao Shang grinned, her eyes curving like crescents. "Just petty cleverness! If he were truly smart, he wouldn’t have rebelled in the first place! The sheer disparity of strength—like an egg smashing against a rock—yet he still raised an army? Truly an eye-opener for this humble one!"
The Third Prince’s chest heaved slightly before he flicked his sleeve and turned away, ignoring her.
After finishing with Peng Zhen, the three of them moved to another cell, slightly more comfortable than the last. Peng Zhen’s crime of armed rebellion was unpardonable—his death was inevitable—but Wang Chun’s charges were still debatable. The plump uncle had drawn a clear line.
The moment Wang Chun saw Ling Buyi, he tried to throw himself forward in tears, but the heavy shackles on his body—one end embedded into the stone wall—left him with no choice but to weep where he stood. Between sobs, he wailed his innocence, insisting over and over that he had never conspired with Prince Qian’an’s manor, much less written those treasonous letters to Peng Zhen.
Though the letters weren’t penned by Wang Chun, the messengers were from the Wang family, and the seals and coded phrases matched Wang Chun’s usual practices. So Ling Buyi pressed him for an explanation.
Yet when it came to the critical details, Wang Chun grew evasive and vague. Ling Buyi patiently questioned him repeatedly, but Wang Chun only continued to weep and mumble incoherently.
The Third Prince said coldly, "Those who wish to die cannot be saved. If he refuses to speak, why should we trouble ourselves on his behalf? When the time comes, he’ll be sentenced to execution, and his family will be purged—simple as that." With that, he made to leave with a flick of his sleeve.
Wang Chun was terrified out of his wits, kneeling and begging for mercy. Watching such a tall, sturdy man grovel pitifully, Shao Shang felt a twinge of sympathy—but the Wang family’s messengers, Wang Chun’s seals, and his habitual coded marks were all undeniable evidence...
Shao Shang clenched her fingers inside her sleeve, calculating carefully. A suspicion began to form in her mind. She lifted her gaze and met Ling Buyi’s eyes—she couldn’t help but smile, knowing he shared the same guess. As for the Third Prince, he stood leisurely with a cold smirk, utterly unconcerned.
She thought to herself, He’s probably figured it out too—he just doesn’t care. Whether it’s the Wang family or Prince Qian’an’s manor, what does it matter to him? In his eyes, they might all just be nuisances—better to sweep them all away at once. Even Ling Buyi, after several unsuccessful attempts to get answers, seemed ready to leave. He said clearly, "Since General Wang is unwilling to reveal the truth, there's nothing more we can do to help. Third Prince, perhaps we should—"
"May I..." Shao Shang suddenly spoke up, "have a word with General Wang?"
The Third Prince immediately frowned, his brows knitting like crossed blades, but Ling Buyi quickly interjected, "You're close to Her Majesty. Ask whatever you need." The Third Prince radiated displeasure, turning his back on them entirely.
Shao Shang stepped forward and spoke earnestly, "General Wang, to be frank with you, given how far this matter has gone, it's impossible for you to escape unscathed—let alone retain your official rank and power. The best you can hope for is to save your life and reunite with your family. Do you really think if you stubbornly refuse to confess, His Majesty will say, 'Oh, it seems Wang Chun isn’t responsible after all. Let him return as General of Chariots and Cavalry and continue wielding power'? General, do you think that’s even possible?"
Wang Chun’s greed for wealth and status was no recent development—he clung to the delusion that he could keep both his life and his privileges. Over the years, he had grown accustomed to Ling Buyi rescuing him, so he still held out hope that Ling Buyi would intervene again. But when he saw Ling Buyi turn to leave earlier, half his confidence had already crumbled.
"If you refuse to speak the truth, then the charge of conspiring in rebellion is inevitable. Who will protect the Wang family then?" Shao Shang crouched down, coaxing gently. "Lady Ling once told me that Wen Xiujun only cares about her natal family and has never looked after her own children. Poor General Wang, your youngest child isn’t even three yet. Who will they rely on then?" Of course, Wang Ling had never said this—it was Zhai Nanny who had.
The Third Prince slowly turned his head, casting Ling Buyi a look of extreme disapproval—You actually told your woman everything and even let her interfere? This is highly improper!
Shao Shang continued her performance, sighing with feigned sympathy. "In truth, official rank and power are fleeting. What matters is life and family, General Wang. Think carefully..." Reasoning with someone like Wang Chun was useless—only appealing to his self-interest would work.
Wang Chun’s mind began to stir.
True, he might lose his position, but he still had wealth! Even if he returned to his hometown, he still had land and influence! With the Empress’s intervention, the Emperor surely wouldn’t strip him of every last coin after the necessary punishments. It was still better than dying and leaving his family in his wife’s hands. Given her tendencies, she might hand over the entire Wang family to the Qian'an Royal Manor the moment he was gone.
So he confessed. Thoroughly, eagerly, even helpfully suggesting directions for further investigation.
The Third Prince snorted indifferently, while Ling Buyi hurried back to the palace to seek the Emperor’s orders. With the imperial decree in hand, he immediately surrounded the General of Chariots and Cavalry’s residence, sealing it off completely. Within half a day, arrests were made, interrogations conducted, and both witnesses and evidence secured.
Once the case was clear, the Empress could finally step in.
She took Wang Ling and the younger Wang children out of the residence, placing them in her own villa under her care. When Shao Shang was sent to deliver supplies, Wang Ling clutched her hand, tears streaming down her face. "...How could it be my mother? There must be some mistake!"Shao Shang pried open her fingers and said leisurely, "Why don't you swear another oath? Just like the ones from the past two days will do."
Wang Ling sat down in a daze, silent.
"See? Even you, her own daughter, can't say for certain. Wen Xiujun stole her husband's seal and ordered her maidservant to impersonate General Wang to collude with Peng Zhen—all to pave the way and gather resources for her younger brother. And then? What did she plan to do? Have the young lord of Qian'an raise an army in rebellion? Restore the glory of old?" Speaking of which, in this era, Shao Shang hadn't seen someone as naturally single-minded and devoted to their younger brother as Wen Xiujun in a long time.
"While Father and my brothers were imprisoned all these days, Mother just... watched...?" Wang Ling's face was pale, her gaze vacant, as if she didn't know who she was asking.
Shao Shang looked at her with pity. For someone obsessed with supporting their younger brother, only their natal family's brothers are true flesh and blood—the light, the spark, the one and only legend. Those they marry and bear are outsiders.
Wang Ling silently shed tears, focusing her gaze on Shao Shang. "What does... what does His Majesty plan to do with my mother...?"
What could be done? Wen Xiujun was of the same clan as the Emperor and born a princess. Execution at the Meridian Gate was out of the question—most likely, it would be a white silk scarf or poisoned wine.
For some reason, Shao Shang suddenly felt her throat go dry, a shadow faintly clouding her heart.
She felt extremely uncomfortable but couldn't pinpoint why.
Author's note: A shooting star for you.
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