Xiao Jin Yu took the cloth strips and quickly scanned the crooked blood-written characters, murmuring to himself in a low voice, "According to the case records, he did tear the prisoner's uniform into several pieces to submit a blood letter to the Emperor... No wonder he tore it into so many fragments to write on—he needed to tear off a thin edge from each piece so that even if someone tried to reassemble the fragments, it wouldn't be easy to notice any missing parts..."
Before Xiao Jin Yu could finish reading all the cloth strips, the iron chains on the cell door clattered loudly.
Startled, he looked up and met the expressionless face of Xue Rucheng outside the iron-barred door.
Xiao Jin Yu frowned slightly, deftly crumpled the cloth strips a few times, and tucked them into his sleeve. Chu Chu instinctively rushed back to the bedside, swiftly gathering the deeply sleeping Qing Ping into her arms, and glared fiercely at the person beyond the iron bars.
"As they say, dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes, and the son of a rat knows how to dig holes..." As the door opened, Xue Rucheng slowly strode in, his tone as calm as when he used to lecture Xiao Jin Yu. "Wang Ye, this habit of yours—preferring death over a peaceful life—must have been inherited from Ning Jun Wang, I suppose."
A cold smile curled at the corner of Xiao Jin Yu’s lips. "It seems... so."
Xue Rucheng glanced back at the Warden, who had tactfully withdrawn, then clasped his hands behind his back and took a few more steps inside. "The Emperor urgently sought me out, saying that Wang Ye only listens to my advice, and asked me to persuade you... While not many know about this yet, sealing mouths isn’t difficult. If Wang Ye changes his statement now, there’s still time."
Chu Chu stood close to Xiao Jin Yu, so near that she could see each of his eyelashes clearly if she lowered her head, yet she couldn’t detect even a trace of emotion on his face. The two expressionless individuals faced each other, neither able to discern the other’s thoughts, yet both certain that the other was thinking—and thinking carefully.
"The Emperor has ordered all the prison guards to withdraw outside. They’ll return in one hour..." Xue Rucheng shifted his gaze, scanning the empty, narrow corridor. The dim light in the prison wasn’t enough to see to the end of the hallway at a glance. He coughed lightly twice. "At my age, nothing matters anymore. But Wang Ye is still young—there’s no need to drag your beloved wife and young child into a mutually destructive struggle with me... If Wang Ye changes his statement and says less, I can ensure your family’s safety."
Chu Chu glared at Xue Rucheng indignantly. "Don’t you lie! Who needs your protection?! With the blood letter left by Ning Jun Wang before his death, just wait for the Emperor to have you sliced into a thousand pieces!"
Xue Rucheng raised an eyebrow, looking at Chu Chu as if she were a willful, mischievous granddaughter. "I believe that within the hour, Wang Ye will surely hand over those ragged cloth strips to me."
Chu Chu spat fiercely. "In your dreams!"
"Would Imperial Concubine care to make a bet with me?" Xue Rucheng narrowed his eyes, looking quite intrigued, and raised his right wrist wrapped tightly in bandages. "If I lose, I’ll let Imperial Concubine cripple my left hand as well. If Imperial Concubine loses... you’ll kneel and kowtow to apologize. How about that?"
Chu Chu responded with full confidence. "Fine!"
She refused to believe that Xiao Jin Yu would hand over the evidence they had risked so much to find to this villainous man. Besides, compared to crippling one of his hands, a mere kowtow was nothing.The echo of Chu Chu's exclamation still lingered in the cold, grim prison cell when Xiao Jin Yu spoke calmly, "I can give it to you."
"Wang Ye..."
Xue Rucheng looked amiably at the stunned Chu Chu. "Wang Ye understands this old man's obsession with perfection in all matters, and I am well aware of Wang Ye's temperament... Since Wang Ye treats even Shi Niang and Xiao Jue with such consideration, he would certainly never risk endangering his beloved wife and young child."
Chu Chu glared at Xue Rucheng, her cheeks flushed with anger. She wasn't angry with Xiao Jin Yu, but she was furious at this person who used Xiao Jin Yu's kindness to force him into compliance. Before she could speak, she heard Xiao Jin Yu say coldly, "I have conditions."
"Please elaborate, Wang Ye."
Xue Rucheng sighed softly and glanced at the still empty, dim corridor before clearing his throat twice. When he spoke again, his voice was noticeably lower. "Being a tutor in the imperial family is a high-stakes gamble—the wager is one's entire official career. Betting correctly doesn't guarantee prosperity, but betting wrong certainly leads to a gruesome death... This old man was a civil official, a top scholar at that, highly favored by the Renzong Emperor at the time. Becoming a tutor to a prince was inevitable. Back then, the Renzong Emperor had not yet designated an heir, and his attitude toward the princes was unclear. Rather than risk betting wrong, it was better for this old man not to bet at all..."
Xue Rucheng spoke with a bitter smile and shook his head. "But what is destined will come... Master Jing bet correctly—from Tutor to the Crown Prince, he became Grand Tutor. That was his fate. This old man placed no bets, yet the Renzong Emperor still bestowed the title of Grand Tutor upon me before his passing. This is my fate."
Xue Rucheng frowned slightly as he studied the student he had personally nurtured. "In anything one undertakes, giving one's utmost effort is never a bad thing... If I hadn't cultivated Wang Ye into such an exemplary figure, how would the Renzong Emperor have entrusted me with the heavy responsibility of Grand Tutor?"
Xue Rucheng sighed with a hint of helplessness, his left hand behind his back gently rubbing his right wrist, still wrapped in thick bandages. "I did worry... But this is also fate. Wang Ye has been meticulous and observant since childhood, with a deep passion for judicial matters. Even if I hadn't taught you, you would have inevitably walked this path sooner or later. It was better to impart all my knowledge, hoping Wang Ye would remember my goodwill in the future... After Wang Ye was appointed to solely oversee the Three Law Divisions, I did grow concerned. I took advantage of the matter with the Prince of Wu Commandery to expose Wang Ye to cadaveric poison, thinking that being unable to handle decayed objects would disillusion you with judicial affairs. Who knew Wang Ye had no such intention... It is all fate."
Xue Rucheng raised his left hand and lightly stroked his beard. "Wang Ye is the rein this old man has placed around Shi Niang's neck. If Wang Ye were no longer in this world, would Shi Niang still obediently manage the As Returning Pavilion for me?"
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