CHAPTER 680: CHAPTER 680: KEEPING ONE’S MOUTH SHUT

Could she be leaving the palace? Or had the Emperor learned something?

The more the Empress thought about it, the more afraid she became. She tossed and turned all night, hardly sleeping, and when she rose early the next day, she looked even more haggard.

Seeing her sallow reflection in the mirror, the Empress couldn’t help but look away.

"Tell them there’s no need to come pay their respects!"

In such a state, she really was unfit to see anyone.

Yu Lan bowed her head in acknowledgement, went out to pass on the message, and then came back with a question.

"Your Highness, you don’t look well. Are you feeling unwell? Should I summon the Imperial Physician?"

The Empress was somewhat impatient.

"No need!"

Yu Lan paused, then said nothing more.

And so the Empress sat in front of her dressing table in a daze.

She thought about what the Emperor had said the night before. "A death sent by my father?" "Pack up?" Was the Emperor about to take action?! But did he have evidence this time?! Impossible; all the evidence clearly pointed toward Commander Xia. Could it be...

The Empress squinted in confusion.

"Yu Lan?" The Empress called Yu Lan to her side and whispered a few instructions.

Upon hearing them, Yu Lan left with a grave expression.

Inside the Ministry of Justice’s Heavenly Prison, Xia Tingfeng was confined in a solitary cell.

The room was very tidy. There was a wooden bed, the bedding was clean, and the floor was paved with stones, kept relatively clean as well. The food wasn’t great, but it wasn’t spoiled. The rice and vegetables were freshly made, and even warm when served.

This was quite good.

Xia Tingfeng knew that this was the Emperor looking after him.

Otherwise, who could come out unscathed from the Ministry of Justice’s Prison?! One might not die but would surely be skinned alive.

And the guard who attempted to assassinate the Emperor wasn’t so fortunate.

Zhao Junyao had given the Minister of Justice secret orders: to torture him severely, beat him to the edge of death, just as long as they didn’t actually kill him!

Alright then! The Emperor had given his orders; what else was there to discuss?!

Thus, within less than a day of his incarceration, the Ministry of Justice had interrogated him three times.

At this point, that guard was beaten beyond human recognition. His limbs were twisted and bound to a frame, his tattered clothing stained with mottled blood. Some blood even ran down from the clothes, pooling on the ground.

But that guard was quite a man. Even under severe torture, he still hadn’t confessed, as tight-lipped as any.

The Minister of Justice had someone tie him up there and left to come up with new tactics.

The cell was so quiet that all one could hear was the DRIP-DRIP of blood droplets hitting the ground.

After an indefinite amount of time, the sound of chains suddenly came from the cell door.

The guard moved his eyeballs and looked toward the door. In the dim light, he saw a figure in black standing at the door. A large black cloak loosely covered a body that was neither tall nor short. He couldn’t even tell if the person was a man or a woman.

However, there was not a trace of surprise in the guard’s eyes, as though he had seen such a sight many times before.

A trace of mockery curled at the corner of his lips.

The figure in black entered quickly, not bothering with pleasantries, and asked directly, "Why won’t you confess?"

"Didn’t we agree you’d point the finger at Consort Xian Pin and Xia Tingfeng?" The tone was accusatory.

The guard glanced at him but didn’t answer, instead turning his head away.

The figure in black stepped closer, a cold glint appearing in his only exposed eyes. "Don’t forget, we have leverage over you!"

As soon as the guard heard ’leverage,’ he reluctantly turned his head back and met the gaze of the figure in black.

"I will not confess!" His eyes were bloodshot, and there was a mottled trace of blood on the corner of his mouth, but his gaze was resolute! "You all said as long as the arrow was shot, it would count as completion! I’m not asking to live, just begging you to let my daughter go! Don’t tell me you’re thinking of breaking your promise?!"

The guard’s eyes, too, flickered with a cold light!

The person in black suddenly laughed loudly, his voice rough, sounding like a man’s. "Breaking a promise? You must be joking! As long as you do as I told you, our master will ensure your family is safe and sound. You will also enjoy wealth and honor for the rest of your life. How about that?"

The condition was indeed very tempting.

However, the guard did not respond immediately but looked at him with a sharp gaze and scoffed coldly. "I’ve already completed the task. Initially, you didn’t say there were so many tasks!"

The person in black became somewhat annoyed. "You didn’t hit with any of the three arrows, and you still have the nerve to say you completed the task? It’s ridiculous! But it doesn’t matter, you still have a chance to make amends! Our contract is still valid. During the next interrogation, don’t let our master down, oh!"

Having said that, the person in black gave him one last look and left without looking back. His steps and silhouette were so firm, as if he was certain that the guard would let himself be manipulated!

"Hmph!" The guard let out a mocking snort and closed his eyes.

Early the next day, the Minister of Justice entered the Yamen with brisk steps, carrying a large book of tortures he had collected overnight. Although he had stayed up all night, he was still full of energy, his demeanor lively and spirited.

Torture is cruel. But soon, the Minister of Justice received the biggest blow of his career.

Such cruel tortures, and he still won’t confess. What kind of benefits has someone offered him!

Thinking it over and finding it odd, the Minister of Justice reported the facts to the Emperor at the first opportunity.

Zhao Junyao found it very puzzling as well.

He won’t confess?

After thinking for a while, he sneered. "If he won’t confess, then investigate! Check his family, the entire nine clans. If there are no clues, then come and report to me!"

The Minister of Justice found this reasonable. So, after leaving the palace, he immediately set about instructing his staff to investigate!

The assassination attempt on the Emperor was too significant to cover up. As the event unfolded, both the court and the Harem were in disarray. After all, such an incident would spell death for anyone involved!

In the Harem, Noble Concubine Shih was in quite a good mood recently.

Although she had angered the Empress a while ago and had her allocation secretly cut, now, it seemed, retribution had arrived, hadn’t it? The Emperor had been attacked in the Harem, and with the Empress in charge of the Harem, she could not escape responsibility. Besides, Qingya Residence was currently having a hard time defending itself. Her brother had been arrested, and Qingya Residence was overwhelmed with accusations. Looking at this, it seemed Consort Xian Pin wasn’t going to fare any better! How wonderful! Her two arch-rivals had fallen on hard times one after the other, and the situation was indeed satisfying! The heavens were truly righteous!

Ying Qiu brought over a bowl of bird’s nest soup. "My lady, the weather has turned cold. Please have some to nourish yourself!"

Noble Concubine Shih happily took the bowl of soup. Just as she was about to drink, she opened it and frowned. "What is this?"

The bird’s nest in the bowl was thin and scant, mostly broken, and of poor quality, looking somewhat yellowish.

Noble Concubine Shih’s face darkened, and she set the bowl aside. "Come! I will go to the Imperial Kitchen with you and demand it myself!"

She would not be taken for granted; were they really treating her like a sick cat?