The Yan Family.
As soon as Chu Ruoyan returned, several people eagerly gathered around her.
Yulu puffed out her chest and declared, "Lord Cao has agreed! Tomorrow at Hai hour, he will take our lady to see the Marquis!"
"Wonderful!"
Everyone was overjoyed. Madam Li said, "What should we prepare? I’ll arrange it right away!"
Chu Ruoyan pondered for a moment. "Clean water, light meals, and some golden wound medicine—anything for external injuries. Don’t bring too much; they’ll search us before entering."
Madam Li hurried off to make the arrangements. Meng Yang stepped forward. "Madam, may I accompany you? The young master has been imprisoned for two or three days now. I’m truly worr—"
Before he could finish, Yan Wenjing stumbled in through the door.
"Auntie, can we see Uncle now? I want to go!"
Ever since returning from the funeral, the child had locked himself in the courtyard, practicing martial arts day and night.
Chu Ruoyan noticed the bruises covering his arms and legs, along with dark circles under his large eyes. She sighed. "What are you doing? Your uncle isn’t back yet, and you’re already trying to exhaust yourself to death?"
Yan Wenjing, usually mischievous, clutched her skirt with desperation. "Auntie, I know I was wrong. Please take me with you. I need to see Uncle. I... I’m so scared he’ll disappear like Father did..."
The child’s voice silenced the entire hall.
Steward Fang turned away to wipe his tears.
Chu Ruoyan knelt and gently cupped his tear-streaked face. "I know you’re worried, Wenjing. But this time, Auntie is going to save your uncle. You’re still too young to help, so wait here at home, alright?"
Her voice was soft and soothing, like a breeze calming the child’s heart.
Yan Wenjing hesitated. "Can you really save Uncle?"
"Mn. When has Auntie ever lied to you?"
The boy bit his lip, then blurted out, "Fine! If you save Uncle, I’ll never call you a bad woman again! I’ll... I’ll even give you my life!"
Chu Ruoyan couldn’t help but laugh.
What would she do with the life of this little troublemaker?
But seeing his earnest expression, she nodded. "Deal. Then wait here obediently."
"Mn!"
After entrusting Yan Wenjing to Steward Fang and reminding him to take good care of the boy, she sat at the desk to plan what to ask during the meeting.
Cao Yang wouldn’t be generous enough to give her much time.
Though forced to relent, he’d likely only allow a meal’s worth of conversation. She had to prepare in advance to extract as much useful information as possible.
The next day at Hai hour, the night was deep.
Chu Ruoyan arrived at the side gate of the Ministry of Justice as agreed, accompanied only by Meng Yang.
A guard stood waiting at the entrance and bowed upon seeing her. "Madam, this way."
The Ministry of Justice was vast, its security tight.
As Meng Yang had warned, without five men of his skill, it would be a suicide mission.
When they reached the prison gates, Chu Ruoyan’s heart sank at the sight of the grim iron doors.
The imperial prison...
Even someone of Yan Zheng’s status had been thrown in here. That meant the higher-ups had approved it.
The guide stepped forward to negotiate with the guards, presenting a token. After careful inspection, the guards finally opened the doors.
As Chu Ruoyan stepped inside, a damp, icy wind struck her, sending a shiver down her spine.
"Madam!"
Meng Yang moved to shield her. The guide remarked, "Madam is dressed too lightly. Would you like to return and change?"
She recognized the hope in his tone—if she left now, this trip would be over.
"No need. Lead the way."
Yan Zheng’s cell was in the deepest level.
Whether out of fear he’d escape or some other reason, four or five additional guards stood outside.
Fortunately, with Cao Yang’s token, the guards only gave their belongings a cursory search before stepping aside.
The guide said, "Madam, our lord instructed that only you may enter. You have a meal’s worth of time. Please make it quick."
Meng Yang opened his mouth to protest, but Chu Ruoyan cut in, "Understood. Meng Yang, wait here for me."
Clenching his fists, Meng Yang reluctantly agreed.
The outer cell door creaked open. Chu Ruoyan stepped inside, carrying a food box. Yan Zheng sat on the bed in the inner chamber.
He wore a dark robe, his hair disheveled, looking somewhat disheveled. Yet when his eyes opened, they still pierced like a blade.
"You?"
He paused, his pale lips curling into a sneer. "What are you doing here?"
Silently, Chu Ruoyan opened the food box.
Inside wasn’t the light fare she’d requested—instead, there was a large, glistening pork knuckle, rich with fat.
The warm steam seemed to chase away the prison’s chill.
Yan Zheng’s gaze softened slightly at the sight. "I’m fine. Tell Wenjing not to worry. At most, one or two months—"
"One or two months?"
Chu Ruoyan interrupted him for the first time. "Marquis, do you truly believe you can last that long?"
His expression turned icy.
She knelt, swiping a finger across the floor. "Marquis, this is blood."
Her voice trembled slightly. "They’ve tortured you..."
Yan Zheng said nothing.
The prison was deathly silent, save for the crackling of the candle flame.
Chu Ruoyan pressed her lips together. Her worst fears had come true.
If they dared to torture Yan Zheng, it meant the higher-ups had sanctioned it. They were beginning to suspect him...
"I won’t die."
Yan Zheng’s voice was cold and abrupt.
She nearly laughed in frustration. "You may not die, but Wenjing, Meng Yang... they’ll be skinned alive!"
His gaze darkened. She spread her hands dismissively. "Don’t look at me like that, Marquis. I’m just a woman. I can’t shoulder the entire Yan Family. So that promise you made—‘protect the Yan Family’—I’m returning it to you."
After a pause, Yan Zheng let out a low chuckle. "Ask your questions, then."
Chu Ruoyan thought this stubborn man was truly hard to please—even helping him required begging.
But there was no time to waste. She cut straight to the point. "What really happened at Hangu Pass?"
At the mention of Hangu Pass, Yan Zheng’s expression turned frigid.
"Someone leaked the city’s defense plans. That’s how my elder brother... fell."
Chu Ruoyan frowned.
She’d always wondered how the eldest son of Yan Family, known as the "Little Zhuge," could have been caught off guard.
So it was betrayal.
"Do you know who?"
Before Yan Zheng could answer, hurried footsteps echoed outside. The guide rushed in, panicked. "Madam Yan, quickly—you must leave now!"
She raised a brow. The man urged, "Prince Yu is here! He’s come to interrogate the Marquis immediately. You must go!"
He reached for her, but Meng Yang barged in, blocking him. Yet when he saw Yan Zheng in the cell, his entire body stiffened. "Young Master!!"
Yan Zheng met his gaze. "Take her away."
Meng Yang seemed not to hear, his eyes locked on his lord.
The footsteps outside grew louder. The guide gritted his teeth. "No time! Follow me!"
Beneath the solitary cell, there was a hidden compartment.
That tunnel had been dug out over time by previous prisoners held here. By the time the guards discovered it, a sizable pit had already been excavated. Before they could report it, new inmates were brought in, and the matter was left unresolved.
The man had just shoved them down into the tunnel and covered the entrance with a straw mat when a voice demanded from outside, "Cao Yi? Why aren’t you with Cao Yang? What are you doing here?"
Cao Yi hastily wiped the sweat from his brow. "Your Highness, Prince Yu, my master was concerned for the Marquis of Anning’s safety, so he sent me to check on him."
"Safety?" Prince Yu scoffed. "What danger could a cripple possibly be in? Unless he’s learned to burrow through the ground like a rat?"
