Chapter 80: Your Word Doesn’t Count

    The carriage stopped outside the gate of the Regent’s Mansion.

    As Shen Ning stepped over the threshold, she was still pondering about Ling Fengyang, with a terrifying thought faintly emerging in her mind.

    Ji Yucang’s voice sounded beside her ear: “What are you thinking about so deeply?”

    Shen Ning came back to her senses: “Ling Fengyang has neither broken arms nor legs, his body is intact, yet he hasn’t returned in three years since going to Nan Dynasty. There’s only one explanation.”

    “The person who died back then wasn’t him?”

    “Does the Prince think he deserted or was it arranged by the late Emperor for him to go to Nan Dynasty?” Shen Ning turned her head and glanced at him indifferently, “Those words Ling Fengyang said at the Princess’s Residence, you should have heard them very clearly. He was adamant about seeing the Emperor, which probably means that the Emperor indeed knows of his existence, and the Emperor has even used Ling Fengyang to threaten Princess Pingyao.”

    Upon hearing this, Ji Yucang’s forehead showed a hint of indifference.

    The late Emperor had made many meticulous plans for the stability of the current Emperor’s throne, but unfortunately, the world is unpredictable.

    His son was not as capable as he had hoped.

    The late Emperor seemed to have planned everything without leaving anything out, but in the end, he couldn’t compete with the variables.

    Poisoning Ji Yucang, thinking he could be controlled, even calculating his death, after the young Emperor took power, the imperial power could be smoothly returned, completely removing his threat to the throne.

    Unfortunately, Ji Yucang was not intimidated by him.

    He thought that by arranging a pawn in Nan Dynasty, he could later carry the might of the entire army as the Emperor’s support, but Nan Dynasty has been weakening over the past three years, not only unable to become the Emperor’s support, but instead needing help from the Yong Kingdom.

    If the late Emperor were watching from heaven, seeing the current situation, one wonders what he would feel.

    “The issues we can think of, Pingyao probably can too.” Ji Yucang accompanied her to the outside of the Golden Courtyard, suddenly seeming to think of something, his eyes turned cold.

    “What’s wrong?” Shen Ning raised an eyebrow.

    “It’s nothing.” Ji Yucang’s expression quickly returned to calm, “It’s getting late, you should wash up and rest early.”

“Ji Yucang,” Shen Ning looked up at him, “Ling Fengyang was dressed in the attire of a Nan Dynasty general. He must have learned of Princess Pingyao’s marriage and rushed here on horseback. Did he come with the Nan Dynasty envoy’s group?”

Ji Yucang nodded: “He should have.”

“Should have?” Shen Ning raised an eyebrow, “You haven’t sent anyone to investigate?”

Ji Yucang remained silent for a moment, then reached out to pat her head: “I’ll go ask Ling Fengyang right now.”

“You’re going to ask him personally?” Shen Ning was taken aback, clearly understanding the implication of his words, “Didn’t you say you were keeping Ling Fengyang for Princess Pingyao to interrogate?”

Ji Yucang said indifferently: “Interrogation is interrogation, inquiry is inquiry.”

Shen Ning fell silent for a moment, then nodded: “Mm.”

Whether it was interrogation or inquiry, to her, there didn’t seem to be much difference.

Because if the Regent was going to ask personally, he would certainly seek a definitive answer, and in the prison where uncooperative prisoners are interrogated, there’s usually only one method.

However, these were not matters Shen Ning needed to concern herself with.

She turned and entered the Golden Courtyard, still preoccupied with the matter of the antidote. A month had already passed, and the preparation of the antidote was complete. If all went well, it would take no more than fifteen days to obtain the catalyst.

Thinking of this, Shen Ning’s mood became somewhat complex.

She had thought that by curing Ji Yucang’s poison, she would be repaying his favor, but remembering the words he had said recently.

She vaguely felt that this favor might be quite substantial.

……

Upon arriving at the Ministry of Justice’s prison, Ji Yucang went straight to the cell where Ling Fengyang was held.

With heavy shackles on all four limbs, his range of movement was almost limited to a small area in the corner of the wall. In less than two hours since his capture, Ling Fengyang’s spirit had deteriorated significantly from when he appeared at the Princess Pingyao’s Residence.

A jailer brought over a chair.

Ji Yucang brushed his robe sleeves and sat down in the chair, speaking unhurriedly: “Ling Fengyang, I want to talk to you.”

Ling Fengyang looked up at Ji Yucang, his eyes slightly narrowed, his voice cold and hard: “I want to see the Emperor.”

“The Emperor has not yet taken personal control of government affairs and cannot make decisions.” Ji Yucang’s tone was indifferent, “You can tell me.”

Ling Fengyang insisted: “I want to see the Emperor.”

“Ling Fengyang.” Ji Yucang’s eyes were cold and stern, a flash of icy ruthlessness in his gaze, “You deserted three years ago, causing the entire army to be annihilated, while you fled Yong Kingdom to become a general in Nan Dynasty. This is a crime of treason, and even though there’s no one else left in your Ling family, according to the law, you should suffer the death by a thousand cuts punishment.”

Ling Fengyang’s eyes flickered: “I did not desert, nor did I commit treason.”

“Your word doesn’t count.” Ji Yucang said coldly, “Come in.”

Two jailers walked in and bowed to receive orders.

“Break one of his legs first.”

“Yes.”

Ling Fengyang’s pupils shrank as he watched the jailers come in with solid wooden sticks, not the whips used for interrogation, but clubs that could break legs with a few strikes.

He roared hoarsely: “Regent, you can’t do this to me, I am a general of Yong Kingdom, I went to Nan Dynasty by order of the late Emperor, for the sake of the Emperor, to help the Emperor gain Nan Dynasty—ah!”

A stick struck his knee fiercely, and Ling Fengyang screamed in pain.

Ji Yucang said indifferently: “Stop.”

The jailers stood by the side with their clubs.

Ling Fengyang was in so much pain that his face turned deathly pale, sweat pouring down his forehead, and his leg convulsed uncontrollably due to the intense pain.

“I cannot tolerate dishonesty.” Ji Yucang’s voice was indifferent, “If you dare to utter a single lie in front of me, I will make you regret being born into this world.”

Ling Fengyang clenched his teeth tightly, the handcuffs clanking loudly with his violent movements, yet it didn’t drown out his painful and rapid breathing.

Ignoring his pain, Ji Yucang asked indifferently: “Was the person shot to death by arrows three years ago you?”

Ling Fengyang gritted his teeth, cold sweat streaming down: “No.”

Ji Yucang asked again: “Among the ten envoys from Nan Dynasty this time, were you one of them?”

Ling Fengyang nodded: “Yes.”

“Apart from the late Emperor’s verbal agreement with you, do you have any evidence to prove that you followed the late Emperor’s wishes, rather than betraying your country on your own?”

Leaning against the wall and gasping for breath, Ling Fengyang’s voice was almost squeezed out from between his teeth: “There is an imperial edict written by the late Emperor himself. This edict is not on me. I must wait until I see the Emperor before I… before I can take it out.”

“The loyal and brave Marquis Han, who came with you, how well do you know him?”

Royal and brave Marquis?

With a pale face, Ling Fengyang stiffly raised his head and looked at Ji Yucang: “Why would the Regent be interested in such a person?”

Ji Yucang’s eyes turned cold, and he gestured with his hand.

The jailer raised the club and struck again.

“Ah—” Ling Fengyang’s horrifying scream almost lifted the roof of the prison cell, the sound of bone breaking crisp, but almost drowned out by his piercing wails.

Ji Yucang was not in a hurry, waiting with great patience.

Ling Fengyang looked as if he had been fished out of water, his right leg trembling uncontrollably, convulsing, the excruciating pain drilling through his bones causing even his jaw to tremble uncontrollably.

“I ask, you answer.” Ji Yucang said indifferently, “What you shouldn’t ask, there’s no need to ask.”