Chapter 138: Not Here To Inquire
Ji Ying paced indoors.
He listened attentively, and all around was quiet.
But he knew that at this moment, he was in the most prosperous East Market of the Capital City.
His home was only two streets away.
As the festival approached, there were more people on the street, and more officers and soldiers patrolling.
But he neither shouted nor ran outside…
Ever since falling into the hands of this group, after countless failed attempts to escape, Ji Ying already knew he could not get away.
The sealed secret room was suddenly pushed open, and a scar-faced man entered holding a water cup.
“Lord Ji, aren’t you reading anymore?” He saw Ji Ying standing and frowned, his gaze on the books on the desk nearby. “Have you finished this one? I’ll get you another. What does Lord Ji want to read?”
These bandits had been sending him books since the first day they captured him.
They promptly replaced them when he finished, and even gave him brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.
“Lord Ji, when you’re feeling distressed, you can write some poems or essays.”
Ji Ying found it amusing. What bandits actually cared about letting a prisoner read and write essays? At first, he had no interest in reading, and they had mocked him for it.
“This old man is no good at reading.”
“His mind is restless; when he encounters something, he can’t even read a book.”
“Unlike our young master. When he was locked up for half a year, the books he read piled up higher than himself.”
What a strange young master! Ji Ying thought. Were these clearly bandits pretending to be scholars?
However, these people rarely mentioned their young master. When they occasionally did in one or two sentences, it was all flattery about how well the young master read.
How good was it? Ji Ying sneered and ignored the man.
They imprisoned him and still wanted to discipline him. It was truly laughable.
The scar-faced man didn’t mind his attitude and handed over the water cup. “We have questions for you. Drink the antidote first.”
Ji Ying sneered again. The reason these people dared to bring him so boldly into the bustling street market of the Capital City was not only because they had bound his hands and feet along the way, but also because they had forced mute medicine down his throat.
So he couldn’t run or shout.
Questioning.
Still asking those same repeated questions.
Who told him to return to the capital? Did he have any token? Had there been any shady transactions before?
He didn’t answer a single word.
Ji Ying neither took the water cup nor looked at it.
No need. He wouldn’t answer even after drinking the antidote, so better not to drink.
“Force it down him.”
A voice came from outside.
It was a female voice.
A soft, young female voice.
There were men and women, old and young among these people, so Ji Ying wasn’t surprised. As the words fell, the scar-faced man holding the water cup stepped forward, pinched his neck with one hand, and poured the water from the cup into his mouth with the other.
Ji Ying was caught off guard, coughing violently, but the medicine still smoothly went down his throat. He choked so hard tears came out. In his blurred gaze, he saw a woman walk in.
“Before you went to White Horse Town, who gave you any instructions?”
The female voice sounded again.
Ji Ying bent over, pressing his chest and gasping for breath. When he lifted his head again, he saw the person sitting by the desk.
This was a young girl, dressed simply yet in fine fabric. Ji Ying could tell at a glance that this was the usual attire of maidservants from wealthy families in the Capital City.
He steadied his breathing and gave a mocking smile, not answering.
“Why did you suddenly return to the capital? Did you receive news from someone?”
The female voice asked again.
Ji Ying brushed the water off his lapel, ignoring the question, sat down, and picked up the book.
“Miss, he’s always like this. He doesn’t say anything no matter what we ask.” The scar-faced man said.
“Have you used torture?” The female voice came.
Ji Ying paused slightly.
The scar-faced man’s voice also paused. “No.”
“Then use torture.” The female voice said softly.
Ji Ying’s body stiffened, and he lifted his gaze from the book to look across.
……
…..
Hong Lin squatted on the ground, gently pulling a floor tile. The secret door to the underground opened a crack, and miserable screams instantly came through.
Hong Lin let go, and the secret door closed, silencing the screams.
“Why is Old Hei so heavy-handed, making him scream like that?” Hong Lin muttered. “It’s been a long time since he used torture; his hand must be out of practice.”
Mo Zheng, sitting at the desk, said, “Hei Shu is definitely fine. Uncle Hong, don’t worry.”
He wasn’t worried; he was just a bit surprised. This Miss Yang was quite ruthless, ordering torture the moment she saw the man.
Since capturing Ji Ying, they hadn’t touched a single finger of his, at most just binding his hands and feet and forcing medicine down.
At this moment, was Ji Ying thinking that these were the real bandits? Previously, they had indeed been kind and honest mountain folk.
“Previously, there was no need for us to act, since he had nothing to do with us.” Mo Zheng said. “Miss Yang has both the reason and the authority to do so.”
Hong Lin nodded. Miss Yang’s mother and the townsfolk of White Horse Town had met with disaster, and it was this Ji Ying who was responsible for the investigation, yet he had used a death row prisoner to impersonate a mountain bandit and close the case.
The victims of White Horse Town died with eyes wide open; the survivors wouldn’t overdo it even if they skinned him alive and tore him apart.
As Hong Lin thought, he saw Mo Zheng frown in thought for a moment, then relax her brows, pick up the brush, and write. Curious, he asked, “Young master, what are you writing?”
Ever since coming to the grocery store and instructing Yang Luo to go see Ji Ying, she had sat down and started writing.
“The two questions Chai Wan’er examined me with earlier at Dengyun Tower.” Mo Zheng said, poking her head with the brush handle. “Although I didn’t answer her in public, it’s idle time anyway, so I’ll write them out.”
She smiled as she said it.
“I’ll show them to my teacher when done.”
Hong Lin nodded with a face full of relief. “Good, good.” He then examined the inkstone nearby and loudly instructed outside, “Bring some good ink for the young lady to choose.”
The shop assistants outside responded in unison, and the grocery store bustled with activity.
……
……
Ji Ying fainted. The secret room quieted down.
Yang Luo watched the blood on the ground spread to her feet. She looked up at Ji Ying.
At this moment, Ji Ying had none of his previous dignity. His hair was disheveled, his face pale, his sleeves torn off both sides, and his bare arms were covered in cuts with blood still oozing out nonstop…
The last time she saw so much blood was when her own throat was pierced.
In her past and present lives, she had never gone to see the horrific scene at White Horse Town or her mother’s corpse.
Though she had died miserably, she had never witnessed such bloody scenes.
Just now, she had watched with her own eyes as the knife slowly sliced up Ji Ying’s arm. At first, she wanted to vomit; listening to Ji Ying’s screams, her eardrums seemed about to burst.
But she neither vomited nor fainted, and her gaze didn’t shift away.
In that life, others watching her die must have felt nothing.
This time, it was her turn to watch someone else die. She couldn’t scare herself into fainting first.
That would be too ridiculous.
She, Yang Luo, had already been ridiculous for one life and couldn’t be ridiculous for a second.
“Hei Shu.” She said. “Splash him awake.”
The scar-faced Hei Shu grunted, then said, “No need to splash.” He squatted down and gently pressed a thin blade from his hand onto the top of Ji Ying’s head…
Ji Ying’s body convulsed violently. The next moment, he let out a wail and opened his eyes.
He gasped heavily, following his own blood trail to look at the young girl sitting nearby.
He coughed and spat out a mouthful of blood.
“I am an imperial court official, acting on orders to inspect. No one instructed me…” He murmured.
Hei Shu shook his head. “This guy’s mouth is really tough.”
Yang Luo stood up and walked over, stepping in the blood.
“Lord Ji, actually, I know who wrote you the letter to make you return to the capital.”
“I also know whose grace allowed you to become an imperial court official.”
Ji Ying let out a weak laugh. “If you know, why ask me…”
These words wouldn’t fool him. As long as he didn’t say it, their knowledge was just framing him. Otherwise, why would she torture him for a confession?
He’d seen this trick countless times in officialdom…
“Actually, I came not to question you.”
Yang Luo stood firm in front of him.
“I just want to beat you.”
“Last time you died too soon, and I didn’t get the chance.”
Just to beat him? Was she confused in her speech, or was he confused from the pain? Ji Ying felt he couldn’t quite understand. What last time?
The thought flashed, and he saw the girl lift her foot and step down on the cut on his arm.
Ji Ying’s face instantly turned ashen white. His body trembled, and he let out a hoarse scream.
