The Deposed Crown Prince had Three Lifelong Regrets - Chapter 42

Chapter 42

“Mao Hongbo, I just visited a brothel. For you to lock me up in the Ministry of Justice constitutes an abuse of power. You are pursuing a personal vendetta. But after much thought, I truly can’t recall any past grievances between us?”

The air in the Ministry of Justice dungeon was heavy with moisture. Zhou Chen, unable to bear it any longer, used his official rank to pressure the other man.

His situation was not the worst; he was neither bound by ropes nor confined to a cell. He was comfortably seated in an armchair, questioning the man with firm words.

The man being questioned stood tall and still. He listened quietly until the last sentence before raising the torch and handing it to Zhou Chen.

The sudden burst of firelight illuminated his eyes, revealing the face hidden in the darkness.

“The collapse of the Jizhou mine shaft was partly your doing, wasn’t it? That was an official mine. Did you think that since all the laborers died, no one would know about your filth?” Mao Hongbo’s tone was flat, making his emotions unreadable.

Zhou Chen’s eyes stung as if burned by the fire. He turned his head away in disgust, circumventing the torch to look directly into the other man’s eyes. These eyes were like a deep, jade-green lake, seemingly able to see through all the grime of the world.

Such a peculiar thing made people feel both fear and a yearning to approach, entirely unlike anything worldly.

“The rules set by the Ancestral Emperor dictate a fine of seven parts of silver for spending a night with a prostitute. As fellow officials, the public display of wearing the cangue should be waived. I won’t do something so humiliating,” Zhou Chen said stubbornly, gritting his teeth and stiffening his neck.

A surrounding silence hung heavy. Beyond the reach of the firelight, it remained chaotic.

Darkness was best for breeding fear. He could no longer hold back and slammed the table in anger.

“Mao Hongbo, Mao Hongbo! What exactly do you want?”

The other man let out a long sigh, then suddenly threw the torch aside. The flame flickered futilely a few times, a plume of smoke rose, and it went out.

“The Ministry of Justice has recruited a monk who has returned to secular life. She is the most righteous and hates evil. Even this official is often moved by her quality of putting others before herself.” Mao Hongbo’s voice was barely a whisper. Standing there, he looked even lonelier than a solitary spirit.

Almost instantly, Zhou Chen, the seasoned bureaucrat, couldn’t sit still.

Eager to help others? Sacrificing for the sake of others’ beauty? Selfless?

This entirely meant using unauthorized torture and pushing the responsibility onto a minor official.

“I heard that she actually has some grievances with you, Lord Zhou. Don’t you want to know why she became a nun?” Mao Hongbo slowly rotated the thumb ring on his hand. His tone finally steadied, adding the emphasis of authority.

“You wouldn’t dare. You must be lying to me.”

Zhou Chen bolted up from his seat, backing away repeatedly in disbelief. The man had just sobered up, and the smell of wine on his clothes hadn’t dissipated, but the chilling, gloomy atmosphere gave him a profound sense of reality.

“What good will this do you? I’m not without friends in court. My relatives in court will impeach you!”

The bitter cold made him shiver. The time for the last cold snap of spring had passed, yet the night was still cooling to the point of freezing hearts.

“Zhou Chen, in prison, had a moment of conscience. Feeling he failed the nation and the Emperor’s grace, he penned his recent crimes, signed and sealed them, and then hanged himself.”

Mao Hongbo ignored his frenzy, talking to himself about the confession process.

“Since he committed suicide out of fear of the crime, the rest of the memorialists can simply be labeled as accomplices.”

In the gloom, heavy breathing was intermittent, like a taut string that could snap at any moment.

Zhou Chen no longer had the composure to argue. He put on airs and prepared to fight the man in front of him, but before he could land a blow, he was subdued by the officials hidden in the corner.

“Mao Hongbo, I’ll f**k your mother! You gutless bastard, you’re attracted to that nun, aren’t you! If my godfather hadn’t promoted you when you passed the imperial exam, you’d still be begging in some corner!”

The man swearing was highly agitated. The man being sworn at listened to every word but acted as if he hadn’t heard anything.

Rotating his thumb ring, he actually found it amusing and chuckled softly. But Mao Hongbo was not the kind of person to smile for a braying idiot. He thought of something more interesting.

Empress Mother, your daughter has grown up. She can now use leverage to threaten me.

Ah, I can only help her this once. The rest is up to Wenchang herself.

Outside, Li Qinghuai, cloaked in black, paced back and forth. A person too suspicious always worried when colluding with others.

She could not change this habit. Even with her closest subordinates, she could not help but be cautious.

Controlling Zhou Chen and forcing him to work for her was risky, but one must enter the tiger’s den to catch the cub. Those who plan great deeds must take risks.

She wanted Mao Hongbo to grind away the man’s arrogance, so he would stop blustering and dutifully carry out her orders.

The tea cups were replaced time and again. Li Qinghuai finally couldn’t restrain herself. She smashed the bowls and chopsticks on the table, slamming the table as she questioned, “Where is he? Your Ministry of Justice’s hospitality truly shames me.”

Before heading to Camel Ridge Mountain, Li Qinghuai was secretly summoned by her Imperial Father. She entered the palace gate through a secret tunnel, becoming a ghost wandering in the dark night.

A mask covered her face, and a black robe concealed her body. No one dared to be so disrespectful as to guess her identity.

Only Mao Hongbo, only him.

Because she considered him an old friend of her Imperial Mother, she was reluctant to resort to threats. But this man not only knew how to proceed cautiously but also decided to take advantage of her good nature.

Taking an inch and asking for a mile, he gradually eroded Li Qinghuai’s disguise.

The rain was lonely at night, and the cold cicadas chirped sadly.

Mao Hongbo, the Minister of Justice, threw out a stack of papers. They were filled with countless written conjectures: the movements of the Princess’s Residence, and the major aristocratic families involved in murder cases.

Li Qinghuai’s breathing was ragged. She didn’t gamble on the genuine affection the Emperor might have for her, nor did she accuse the other party of any wrongdoing. She chose to cooperate with him.

After becoming bound together, the matters the Ministry of Justice secretly became involved in increased, but they were always fraught with delays and hindrances.

Sometimes, she truly wished she could light a fire, igniting the damp, disgusting straw in the cave, burning down this abyss of so-called collaboration.

Tea cups and utensils shattered on the floor. Leftovers and porcelain shards lay rotten beneath.

Her tone and appearance were thoroughly disguised. Even the Princess Royal might not recognize her. The most important thing was to put on a show of complete indignation, which was beneficial to her as a disgraced individual. It not only relaxed the enemy’s vigilance but also confused the perspectives of those who were neither enemies nor friends.

To outsiders, having no trump card was the biggest trump card.

“Tell me, where is the person?” Li Qinghuai slumped down half her body in exhaustion. Her standing posture was somewhat unsteady.

Her Imperial Mother’s passing a few years ago caused great grief, which inevitably led to illness, and she had not fully recovered to this day.

Her mind was unsettled, a lump of frustration stuck in her chest, neither going up nor down. But Mao Hongbo intentionally waited until her temper had gradually subsided before showing up belatedly.

The smell of blood arrived with the man. Li Qinghuai frowned. She should have urgently demanded to interrogate the prisoner, but after waiting for so long, she had strangely calmed down.

“Minister of Justice, where is the person I sent?”

Her heart pounded like a drum, yet she acted composedly.

Mao Hongbo lowered his eyes, “Your Highness, Zhou Chen committed suicide out of fear of the crime.”

As if struck by lightning, Li Qinghuai was stunned for half a second, then said with an angry expression, “What do you mean? Did you use unauthorized torture?”

“Your servant wouldn’t dare.”

“Zhou Chen’s crimes are too numerous to be fully recorded. He committed suicide out of fear of the crime,” he repeated.

Incense smoke billowed. Li Qinghuai understood. He had no intention of releasing the person.

Suddenly facing such a betrayal, she didn’t know what to think. She managed to suppress the resentment in her eyes, flicked her sleeve, and prepared to leave.

The thought stopped halfway, and she forcibly held herself back. The most critical chess piece in the overall plan had not been played. Since the plan was not yet complete, she had to endure.

One slow move could lead to a complete loss of the entire game.

Being restrained by others now, enduring the humiliation was absolutely unavoidable.

She shouldn’t have been merciful in the first place. When she retreated half a step, the enemy advanced three. Retreat three steps, and the enemy would push her into a corner.

“Your Highness, this official did not intentionally make things difficult for you. It’s just that Zhou Chen is inherently foolish and cannot be used for great purposes. A fickle opportunist, he goes whichever way the wind blows. If he dares to agree to serve Your Highness today, he would dare to stain the Clear Mirror Platform with blood tomorrow.”

Mao Hongbo shed his discouraged demeanor and grandly pointed out the situation.

“Your servant acted without authorization. I ask Your Highness to punish me.”

He bowed deeply, giving a profound salute.

What a masterful example of acting first and reporting later. Li Qinghuai couldn’t figure out what the other party was planning for a while and could only remain silent for the time being.

Zhou Chen had only been in his hands for a short time. Even to dismember him now, the time was not ample. Could it be that he planned to murder him to silence him from the very beginning? Then how did he know who she would send?

If her influence were strong enough, the person she sent to the Ministry of Justice would certainly not have been the one surnamed Zhou.

What if they were surnamed Li, or Zhang, or Yang?

Therefore, Zhou Chen might not be dead; this was just a fact to be presented later to stop her from demanding the person.

A page boy rushed in through the side door, whispering a few words into the Minister of Justice’s ear. Mao Hongbo’s face changed drastically. He, in turn, began assessing her expression.

Li Qinghuai found it baffling. What news could make him care about her, to the point of observing her for a significant amount of time?

“Minister Mao, since you have taken this person, you should at least offer some return gift.” She suddenly felt a palpitation, which was quite irritating in this serious setting. Her tone shifted with her mood.

The pain was acute, and her teeth were clenched.

Unexpectedly, the man agreed. With a soft touch, he proposed a new remedy.

“The former servant of the Song family is now in this official’s residence. If Your Highness wishes to see her, this official can take you. Before the New Year, Your Highness will surely achieve your goal, implement the new policy, and punish Song Xuyao.”

“The Eunuch Zheng from the palace personally visited the day before yesterday. This official specially invited him and asked him to be present today. Is Your Highness willing to accompany this official to see him?”

Every word was like a fine needle poking at Li Qinghuai’s heart. She pretended to consider for a moment, then opened her mouth and agreed. Her expression was completely composed, as if no unpleasantness had occurred just moments ago.