Reborn Nine Times, the Tyrant Always Wants to Imprison Me - Chapter 23

Meanwhile, deep within the imperial palace.

Zhou Ling sat behind the imperial desk. As Fangru had been absent for an unusually long time, an inexplicable sense of foreboding rose in his heart.

Frowning, he spoke gravely to Li Zuo, who stood in attendance nearby, “Go to the imperial prison and see why Fangru hasn’t returned yet.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Li Zuo accepted the order and set off immediately.

Yet he was still a step too late.

When he arrived outside the secluded cell in the imperial prison, he happened to hear Fangru’s clear and resolute voice from within: “…I believe you. I will definitely rescue you.”

Li Zuo paused mid-step, immediately concealing himself in the shadow of a corridor pillar, holding his breath to listen intently.

Then, he heard Fangru’s voice, suppressed with anger. Though low, each word was as sharp as an icy blade: “…Zhou Ling, as the ruler of a nation, actually engages in such despicable acts—framing loyal officials and deceiving heaven and earth! To satisfy his own selfish desires, he doesn’t hesitate to fabricate charges, branding those loyal to the state as traitors, turning this dignified imperial prison into a slaughterhouse that destroys hearts… How utterly vile!”

Li Zuo’s heart jolted in alarm. Not daring to listen further, he immediately turned around, mounted his horse, and rushed back to the palace at top speed.

He hurried into the hall, dismissed the attendants, and reported in a low voice to Zhou Ling, “Your Majesty, I arrived too late. Gu Zhou… has already informed Miss Fangru that he was sent by the court to infiltrate the White Sun Society as a spy. After hearing this, Miss Fangru was extremely furious and… spoke many accusations against Your Majesty.”

On the imperial throne, Zhou Ling showed no anger. Instead, a faint smile flickered at the corner of his lips.

He looked up at Li Zuo, his tone calm and unruffled, “Oh? What did she say about me?”

Li Zuo bowed his head even lower, cautiously repeating, “Miss said that Your Majesty… ‘frames loyal officials and acts despicably.'”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ling actually let out a soft chuckle. The laughter held no discernible joy or anger, only a touch of icy amusement. “What a Gu Zhou,” he said leisurely, as if commenting on a play that had nothing to do with him. “Even at death’s door, he still remembers to distort the truth and deceive people. He certainly puts on a good show of loyalty and righteousness.”

He slowly stood up, walked to the window, and gazed out at the layered silhouettes of the palace buildings with his hands clasped behind his back. “The court did indeed give him secret orders, allowing him to infiltrate the White Sun Society as a spy. That was the opportunity and trust I granted him. Unfortunately, he thought himself clever, got too immersed in his role, and became addicted to the illusory power the White Sun Society offered him, long having cast his loyalty aside. What fault is there in my sentencing him for treason and colluding with the enemy?”

He turned around, his gaze steady as he looked at Li Zuo. “His current claims are merely the desperate bites of a man at the end of his rope, clutching at his last straw. Fangru… is ultimately too naive.”

Li Zuo bowed and inquired, “Your Majesty, should I seek reliable witnesses to firmly establish Gu Zhou’s crime of treason, to ease Miss Fangru’s mind?”

Zhou Ling did not answer immediately.

His slender fingers idly traced the paperweight on the imperial desk. A sharp glint of calculation flashed in his eyes, eventually transforming into a faint, ambiguous smile on his lips.

“No need. Since she already believes that version of events, any further evidence would only seem like carefully fabricated false proof to her. Since she is convinced that I am a ruthless and tyrannical ruler, then I shall let her see what it truly means to take drastic measures.”

He lifted his gaze, his eyes settling on Li Zuo: “Secretly transfer Gu Zhou to the vicinity of the White Sun Society’s headquarters immediately. Make it clean, but leave behind sufficiently obvious ‘clues’ so their people can ‘accidentally’ discover this imperial fugitive.”

A flicker of cold mockery passed through Zhou Ling’s eyes. He knew Gu Zhou all too well, and was deeply familiar with the methods of the White Sun Society. No matter the outcome, it all fell within his calculations.

“If the White Sun Society shows mercy and spares his life… a double agent hunted by the court with nowhere left to turn—what choice does he have but to wholeheartedly serve the White Sun Society once more? By then, he will inevitably reveal greater flaws, unwittingly solidifying his reputation as a traitor for me.”

“If the White Sun Society won’t tolerate him… their methods of purging their ranks have always been more thorough than the Imperial Prison. That would save me the trouble.”

“Whether he lives or dies,” his tone resumed the detachment of an emperor, “he will become a perfect dead piece on this chessboard.”

…

Fangru rushed into the hall without announcement, her gaze fixed coldly on the man seated high upon the throne: “Your Majesty, I have uncovered the truth behind Gu Zhou’s wrongful accusation.”

Zhou Ling showed no surprise at her abrupt entry.

He rose slowly from behind the imperial desk, descending the jade steps with steady, imposing footsteps, stopping just a step away from her.

This distance breached the propriety between ruler and subject, allowing him to clearly see the flickering anger in her eyes, and letting her feel the unmistakable imperial authority and masculine aggression radiating from him.

“You’re too late,” he spoke, his voice unnervingly calm, his gaze trapping her like a dense net. “Just moments ago, the Ministry of Justice prison was raided by the White Sun Society. Gu Zhou… has been taken.”

He deliberately paused, savoring the shock and disbelief that flashed across her face, before continuing, “Though he is an imperial fugitive, I cannot tolerate such defiance from treacherous rebels. I’ve already sent men to ‘rescue’ him. Alive or dead—”

Before he could finish, Fangru urgently interrupted, “He was imprisoned in the Imperial Prison! When was he moved to the Ministry of Justice? Why did no one know?”

Zhou Ling let out a low chuckle, laced with mockery and an indescribable ambiguity.

He suddenly advanced another half-step, their robes nearly touching as he leaned slightly forward, his warm breath faintly brushing past her ear:

“Was it not you who refused to set foot in the gloom of the Imperial Prison?” His tone slowed, each word enunciated clearly, like a lover’s whisper, yet chilling to the bone. “I moved him to the Ministry of Justice out of consideration for you. Had you said earlier that you wished to see him, I could have even transferred him into the palace, placed him right beside your bedchamber… so you could see him day and night. How would that be?”

Fangru’s cheeks burned instantly—with shame, fury, and an unbearable sting. She vividly remembered how in the first life, Zhou Ling had guarded the Imperial Prison fiercely, forbidding anyone from approaching Gu Zhou. In the second life, when Gu Zhou returned to the Shen residence, he was already battered beyond recognition. And now, in this life, he dared to turn that brutal past into a frivolous taunt to provoke her?

A wave of revulsion mixed with towering rage surged through her. She sharply stepped back, her voice trembling with suppressed emotion: “Do not speak such nonsense! Tell me the truth… was it you who killed him?”

“If I truly wished to silence him beyond all testimony,” Zhou Ling straightened up, his gaze abruptly turning sharp and icy. The previous hint of ambiguity vanished completely, leaving only the absolute authority of an emperor. “You wouldn’t even hear his name mentioned again. Fangru, the indulgence I’ve granted you is not meant for you to repeatedly challenge my limits.”

The powerful aura emanating from him seemed to freeze the very air.

Fangru forcibly suppressed the turmoil in her heart, her mind rapidly weighing the situation. If he truly intended to eliminate witnesses, why would he have allowed her to enter the imperial prison earlier to hear Gu Zhou’s “confession” with her own ears? Confronting him head-on now was not the best strategy; finding Gu Zhou’s whereabouts was the key.

Her father’s disciples and old acquaintances in the court, her cousin’s connections in the Ministry of Personnel… these could all become her resources for covert investigation.

As her thoughts quickly settled, she suddenly raised her eyes, meeting directly and unflinchingly those unfathomable, oppressive imperial eyes.

“If Your Majesty truly has a clear conscience,” she enunciated each word clearly and firmly, “then permit this subject to participate in the Ministry of Justice’s subsequent investigations. I must witness the truth with my own eyes, witness the… outcome.”

Zhou Ling silently stared at her. He was already clear in his mind: at this point, Gu Zhou had either become a victim under the White Sun Society’s blades or had once again groveled and returned to his former master’s fold, plotting how to turn against the court.

The corner of his lips lifted almost imperceptibly.

Allowing her to participate in the investigation—wasn’t this exactly what he wanted? Let her see with her own eyes how the “loyal and virtuous” man she believed in had completely fallen. Let her recognize reality through repeated disappointments, until finally… she completely gave up on that person and obediently returned to his side.

This move was risky, but it precisely targeted her vital point.

Zhou Ling gave a faint nod, granting her request. The word “Granted” rolled from his throat, deep and magnetic, wrapped in the emperor’s unquestionable authority, yet tinged with a lazy indulgence that seemed almost doting. “But remember, this is a favor I bestow upon you, not a right you deserve. Watch carefully, and do not disappoint me again.” With the decree issued, his layout also quietly spread like a dark web.

On one hand, he dispatched elite shadow agents to trail Fangru like ghosts, observing her every move and every furrow of her brow. On the other hand, he ordered the Ministry of Justice and the capital garrison to ruthlessly purge the White Sun Society’s strongholds, deliberately creating an atmosphere of tension and alarm.

A cold smile played on his lips. His goal was to force the panicked, cornered White Sun Society, in their desperation, to personally deliver their former “comrade” to his doom.

…

Fangru detected the ever-present surveillance within half a day.

Pretending to select items at a cosmetics stall, the reflection in the rhombus-patterned bronze mirror clearly showed the figure hiding in the crowd.

It was indeed Zhou Ling’s man! A wave of offended anger, mixed with anxiety over Gu Zhou’s situation, rushed to her head. She turned and hurried toward the imperial palace, determined to confront him directly.

Just as she stepped into the corridor outside the hall, before she could even announce herself, the panicked report of an official inside reached her ears.

She abruptly halted, holding her breath to listen.

“…Your Majesty, the secret report is confirmed. Recently, the White Sun Society spent heavily to acquire an extremely volatile explosive substance from a mysterious sorcerer in the Western Regions. Its characteristics are…”

The official’s voice trembled, “The most critical issue is that this object is rumored to be cursed with dark magic—it will self-detonate at noon on the fifteenth of this month! Today is already the thirteenth. If we cannot locate it in time, the capital may face a catastrophic disaster!”

The air in the hall instantly grew heavy.

Fangru could almost picture Zhou Ling at this moment—his brow deeply furrowed, his fingers lightly tapping the imperial desk.

She took a deep breath and, without further hesitation, strode directly inside. She even forgot to perform the customary bow, her gaze fixed intently on the man behind the imperial desk. “Why has Your Majesty sent people to follow me as if I were a prisoner?!”

Zhou Ling looked up, showing no anger at her abrupt entrance or lack of ceremony. With a slight wave of his hand, he dismissed the panic-stricken official.

“Following you?” he repeated slowly, a dangerous playfulness in his tone. “Didn’t you hear everything just now? The capital is now fraught with peril. If my Fangru were to lose so much as a single hair,” his tone shifted abruptly, becoming low and lingering yet undeniably forceful, “I would have many people buried with her. Those people are shields to protect you, not chains to bind you.”

“I don’t need them!” Fangru met his intense gaze without backing down, her mind racing with worry—what if Gu Zhou tried to contact her? With spies everywhere, how would she manage? “I request that Your Majesty withdraw them immediately!”

Zhou Ling stared into her stubborn, defiant eyes. The candle in the hall crackled softly, and time seemed to stretch.

After a long moment, he slowly smiled, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. Instead, it exuded an even deeper sense of pressure.

“Fine. As you wish.” He agreed so easily that Fangru was taken aback. “But on one condition,” his tone turned cold abruptly as he leaned forward, closing the distance between them. The faint, cool scent of ambergris almost enveloped her. “From this moment on, you must come to me daily to report your whereabouts—every detail, no matter how small. If I discover you withholding even the slightest information or failing to report any danger…”

He paused, his fingertip tracing the outline of her cheek from a distance, sending a shivering illusion across her skin.

“Not only will I reassign the guards, but I will personally lock you in the imperial study, keeping you by my side day and night. I mean what I say. Fangru, are you willing to take that gamble?”