Su Ning didn't stay in the hospital room for long.
For one thing, the severely injured needed rest above all.
For another—
The investigation was already complete.
"Ah, how did it go so fast?"
The messenger explained, "We mainly caught the key person, and... Miss Su's subordinate is remarkably skilled at interrogation. It didn't take much time to get them to talk."
Thinking back to what he had witnessed, he couldn't help but swallow hard, a chill running down to his very bones.
If he had the choice.
He'd rather die than endure that kind of suffering.
The others exchanged uneasy looks. Interrogation didn't sound like anything respectable—just torture, how hard could it be? But in truth, there was far more skill involved than most realized. Any faction without real depth couldn't pull it off properly.
As for technique and variety of methods—
Wasn't that something straight out of the palace...
Su Ning couldn't care less about what they were thinking. Her mood was foul, and she sighed deeply to the system: "System, I was wrong. Terribly wrong."
The system was overjoyed.
It cleared its throat, suppressing a smile, preparing to coolly ask her: Wrong about what?
Then it heard:
"I shouldn't have wanted to be a good person. I thought I finally had the power to choose, but it was all fake. It's not my fault—it's this world's fault."
Su Ning added mournfully: "Why can't this vast world make room for someone who just wants to be good?"
System: ...
Ugh. Heartbreaking.
The shattering of her ideals left her despondent, and she desperately needed some cold, hard reward money and lottery chances to comfort herself.
"They've confessed, so go make the arrests."
Su Ning raised an eyebrow. "Otherwise, what if they run?"
Her pointed words made some people sigh inwardly. To think they'd reached this point, and anyone trying to play favorites was already out of the question. They felt humiliated, so with dark faces and poor tones, they said: "Miss Su thinks too much. Even if they can fly to the heavens or burrow into the earth, they won't escape!"
Su Ning smiled ambiguously.
That remained to be seen.
...
The Wu family estate.
Although there was a war on, for a top-tier noble house like the Wu family, life inside the manor remained calm and tranquil—flowering trees neatly arranged, servants going about their business without a hint of panic or anxiety.
It was just past noon.
A few servants were lounging in the sunny corridor, chatting idly. The warmth of the sun made them drowsy.
Suddenly, one felt a nudge. He opened his eyes and saw—the young master!
"M-Master."
They all jumped to their feet, terrified, and stammered out their greetings.
"It's fine."
Wu Yi's manner was exceedingly gentle. Casually, he asked about the family at home.
"As a son, I should be at home attending to my elders, but..." He sighed. The servants exchanged knowing glances and, without suspicion, answered naturally: "To answer you, Master, everyone at home is well. The old madam mentioned you over dinner last night, saying you haven't come home in a while. The madam has sun-dried new autumn sauce and said she'd send some over to your place."
"That's good to hear."
Wu Yi nodded, then asked: "By the way, is my father at home?"
"No, Master."
One servant said, puzzled, "There's a war outside—the old master took the troops out long ago, along with several of the other young masters. Didn't you know?"
Not there. Good, he's not there.
Wu Yi's eyes flickered. He gave a bitter smile: "Father said he no longer recognizes me as his son because of my marriage dispute. I was worried he might come home and be angered by my presence—it wouldn't do to upset his health."
After confirming repeatedly that his father truly wasn't home.
He left.
The moment he turned, his smile vanished, replaced by a dark, sunken gaze. A bunch of useless fools—not only did they fail the job, they got themselves captured, forcing him to flee early.
He'd planned to infiltrate and lay low, then earn merit at a critical moment.
Now, all that work was wasted.
Going in empty-handed meant he wouldn't be taken seriously, so he needed leverage. Something like a defense map... Wu Yi set his sights on his father's study.
He was one of the most outstanding sons of the Wu family.
Highly favored in the past.
So he knew about several hidden compartments in the study, which likely contained important blueprints and intelligence of great value.
That should be enough.
With this thought, Wu Yi's steps grew lighter.
After he left.
The servants shook their heads and murmured among themselves:
"Life outside is no easy thing. Look how thin Young Master Wu Yi has gotten—his complexion is bad, dark circles under his eyes."
"Once, he was so celebrated. Everyone in the family valued him, and outsiders kept singing his praises, saying the Wu family was about to produce another prodigy. Look at him now."
"Too lovesick, that's all."
"Indeed. It made a huge uproar back then. I saw it with my own eyes. Even though they parted ways, I know Young Master Wu Yi never let go of that relationship. Cuihuan was pretty, and she'd served him since childhood—such deep bond, and even after years as a chamber maid, she was never raised to concubine, and in the end, he married her off. Sure enough, the moment Miss Xing came back, the old flame reignited."
"Miss Xing, is it? She's had a child—how can you still call her 'miss.'"
"Then what should I call her? Call her 'young madam'? No wedding was held, and the family doesn't recognize her. Call her 'Concubine Xing'? Even taking a concubine requires a few tables of banquet. It's all so ambiguous."
The man winked and grinned.
Laughter followed.
To be fair, even if they knew about their masters' affairs, it wasn't their place to discuss them. But Xing Qiu—no one in this household thought much of her.
Pregnant out of wedlock. What decent woman would do that?
Even as servants, they considered their own morals far higher than hers and felt entitled to look down on her.
"If you ask me, she's a fool. Sure, the young master likes her and says he'll marry her, but does she really think she can be the legal wife? Becoming a concubine is already pushing it, and that's only because of the young master's son."
"Exactly. She has no sense."
"That kind of woman—watching a man tear his family apart over her, she's probably pleased with herself."
Behind the flower bushes.
Wu Xuewen bit his lip hard.
Staring at the gossiping servants, he clenched his fists. He wanted to charge out and punish them, but he feared they'd hold a grudge and make his life difficult.
In the end, it was his mother's fault.
Why did she have to get pregnant before marriage, inviting all this criticism? And then refuse to make amends—out of spite, she missed her chance and wouldn't marry. Fine. Would it kill her to enter the household first as a concubine or even a wife?
Once he made something of himself, would anyone dare look down on his mother?
Why.
Why did he always end up with a mother who couldn't fully consider her child's best interests...
Wu Xuewen's face was taut.
He ran toward his father, Wu Yi's, direction, mentally resolving: today, he'd follow his father back to see his mother, make her understand how serious things were—how many people were whispering behind her back.
Perhaps hearing the footsteps, Wu Xuewen saw his father turn around.
His expression was indeed not good—actually, one could say it was ugly.
He felt sorry for his father.
"Father..."
The next second.
Wu Yi kicked him ruthlessly. It was hard—the boy's body flew through the air. Wu Yi didn't even look at him, turning and sprinting away without a backward glance.
The young boy stared in utter disbelief.
He didn't know why.
Then, he got his answer. He didn't hit the ground—he landed on bodies. There were too many people, and though some were knocked down, they broke his fall.
Shortly after, quite a few people came running and shouting:
“Wu Yi, your crimes have been exposed—stop right there!”
