Chapter 361: Don’t Meddle in Men’s Affairs
Inside the Imperial Prison.
The air was dim and shadowed. Even with the lamps lit, the light couldn’t reach every corner of the prison.
Tao Wanxin had been waiting at the entrance when she happened upon Duan Mingfeng, who was arriving to handle the case. She knew the Emperor had already transferred the authority to adjudicate this matter to him.
She had asked him for a favor with little hope, but to her surprise, Duan Mingfeng actually agreed.
’Since when has this cold-blooded Mr. Duan become so reasonable?’
Utterly shocked, Tao Wanxin led Chang Lu through the main gate, following behind Duan Mingfeng along with the staff from the Prison Department.
She carefully peered into each cell they passed, her face draining of color at the sight of the half-maimed, barely breathing prisoners inside.
In her mind, every one of their faces transformed into that of Prince Yong.
Tao Wanxin’s voice trembled. "Mr. Duan, where is the Prince?"
Duan Mingfeng’s tone was as chilling as the prison itself. "The Prince is in the very back."
Tao Wanxin had heard that the deeper the cell, the more heinous the crime.
The further they went, the louder the piercing wails and hoarse pleas for mercy became. Tao Wanxin’s legs grew weak and she stumbled, only to be steadied by the Prison Director at her side.
Duan Mingfeng didn’t pause his stride, not even turning his head.
Finally, he stopped at the deepest end of the prison.
Tao Wanxin caught up to find a black-lacquered iron door before her, mottled with rust.
Duan Mingfeng stood still and said, "Keys?"
The Prison Director hurriedly handed over a ring of bronze keys from his waist.
Duan Mingfeng glanced at him and commanded, "Open it."
A perceptive prison guard took the keys and unlocked the door.
Once inside, Tao Wanxin saw a cell. It was bare, containing only a narrow straw mat large enough for one person and the remains of a coarse meal on the floor.
The person inside wasn’t on the mat, but lying prone on the ground, letting out pained moans.
Even from where she stood, Tao Wanxin could smell the stench of decay mixed with the scent of medicine.
Duan Mingfeng said grimly, "Princess Yong, if you please."
Staring at the person sprawled on the filthy ground, Tao Wanxin covered her mouth in disbelief. ’How could Prince Yong end up like this?’ A ringing filled her ears. She bit her thumb, using the sharp pain to keep herself from fainting.
But a sob still escaped her as she murmured softly, "My Prince."
Her voice was so faint that even Duan Mingfeng didn’t notice it, but someone who had been sleeping soundly did.
He looked toward the entrance in confusion. The main door to the cell was open, and standing there was the woman he held in his arms in his dreams.
"Wanyin?"
Someone was calling her name. It was Prince Yong’s voice.
Tao Wanxin lowered her hand and stared intently at the prisoner in front of her. He was lying motionless on the ground, showing no sign of having spoken.
"Wanyin?! Why have you come here?!"
This voice was much louder, and agitated.
Duan Mingfeng pointed to her left.
Only then did Tao Wanxin’s gaze shift to the very back of the cell, to a place she had subconsciously ignored—an area so bright it didn’t seem like a prison at all.
It was still a cell, but this one was furnished with soft bedding and pillows. A square table was laden with an array of food and wine. It had everything one could need, looking more like a room at an inn.
Zhao Minghong leaped off the bed, his eyes shining brighter than the Luminous Pearl by his pillow.
"Wanyin, come here."
Forgetting her decorum, Tao Wanxin ran all the way to him.
Seeing her run, Zhao Minghong shouted, "Don’t run! Be careful! What’s the rush?!"
Even though the interior didn’t resemble a prison, the two were still separated by a set of cold iron bars.
Tao Wanxin’s eyes scanned him from head to toe.
"My Prince... are you all right?"
Zhao Minghong’s gaze briefly left her, turning to the man standing at the entrance.
"Mr. Duan of the Imperial City Envoy, would you please give us some privacy? My wife and I have some private matters to discuss, not fit for outsiders’ ears."
Duan Mingfeng shot Prince Yong a cold, sidelong glance before turning to leave.
The men from the Prison Department remained at the entrance, continuing to stand guard.
Zhao Minghong turned his head back, his expression toward Princess Yong completely transformed. His smile was warmer than candlelight.
"I’m fine, perfectly fine. See? I have everything I need in here."
The moment he entered the prison, his anxieties had vanished. Emperor Wu Su had shown him leniency after all; this imprisonment was merely for show.
Prince Yong felt none of the peril one would expect in the Imperial Prison. He rubbed the back of his head and said with a smile, "The only thing not so good was not being able to see you."
Tao Wanxin’s eyes grew redder and redder. Zhao Minghong, trying to cheer her up, added, "No, no, that’s not right. Now that I’ve seen you, everything is perfect."
After the initial shock, seeing him safe, Tao Wanxin’s nerves finally gave way, and tears instantly streamed down her face.
"Don’t cry, Wanyin."
Zhao Minghong grew flustered. He tried to reach his hand out from inside to wipe away her tears.
But the gaps between the bars were simply too narrow. No matter how he tried, his hand wouldn’t fit through.
Tao Wanxin lowered her head, held back her tears, and took out her personal handkerchief to dry her face. Then, pretending as if nothing was wrong, she looked up, her composure restored—at least on the surface.
"Even if you don’t consider others when you act, My Prince, you should at least take care of yourself. I heard that when the Empress Dowager learned you were locked in the Imperial Prison, she was so distraught that she fainted."
"Mother..."
Zhao Minghong said, "Once I am out, I will naturally go and pay my respects. You are not to go to Cining Palace."
The Empress Dowager wouldn’t be kind to her daughter-in-law, so Prince Yong didn’t want her to go.
Tao Wanxin said, "I won’t go. I’m not going anywhere. I’m returning to the Prince Mansion right now."
Zhao Minghong readily agreed. "You should go back quickly. This prison is no place for you."
But Tao Wanxin didn’t move. Staring at his face, she asked, "When will you be able to come home, My Prince?"
Zhao Minghong glanced at the cell to his right and frowned. "That old bastard’s life has been spared. Once my Imperial Brother’s anger subsides, I’ll be able to go home."
The person lying on the ground was... Su Fengyue.
Prince Yong had been sent to the Imperial Prison precisely because he had tortured him excessively. Tao Wanxin asked, "My Prince, why... why were you so cruel to Prime Minister Su?"
Zhao Minghong answered, "I just can’t stand the sight of him. A mere old fool who dared to try and steal the Zhao Family’s empire! His crimes are monstrous!"
"But, but you still can’t..."
Tao Wanxin recalled what Chang Lu had told her and couldn’t help but think that Prince Yong was far too ruthless.
To incorporate the ’death by a thousand cuts’ into a castration... it was a form of torture unheard of even in the history books. And the victim was the former Prime Minister of the court.
’This man... is the one who sleeps beside me.’
Zhao Minghong could tolerate anything right now, except for the faint trace of contempt showing on Tao Wanxin’s face.
Even though it was subtle, it was enough to make his heart ache as if stabbed.
Zhao Minghong’s smile vanished, and he urged her to leave.
"’Can’t’ what? This is men’s business. Don’t concern yourself with it. Hurry back to the Prince Mansion."
Startled by his harsh tone, Tao Wanxin slowly turned to leave.
But before she reached the door, the man lying prone in the cell suddenly made a sound—a dry, hoarse laugh that was exceptionally chilling in the vast prison.
"Little Tao..."