The prison guards did use their brains; the torture chamber where Chief Historian Zuo and the Jia Brothers were held wasn’t particularly close, so they couldn’t hear or see each other’s situation.
Chief Historian Zuo, Wen Qiming, had sowhat disheveled hair and seed to lack strength, but it seed he had no visible injuries.
Clearly, the prison guards were sowhat hesitant when handling him, naturally holding back a bit.
When he saw Zhu Yu and Lu Qing, he vaguely recalled seeing them the previous day at the Jia Residence, right next to Zhu Cheng. Upon further thought, it seed they were also present earlier when Zhu Cheng had approached him in the East Wing to discuss matters privately.
They must be Zhu Cheng’s confidants.
Thinking of this left Wen Qiming with mixed emotions; on one hand, he hoped their presence ant Zhu Cheng trusted him and had sent them to stop the interrogation and torture; on the other, he worried that Zhu Cheng distrusted him and had sent them to intensify the questioning.
Lu Qing gestured, and the nearby prison guard stepped forward to loosen the rope around Wen Qiming’s hands, while another guard handed over a prepared bowl of deer blood wine.
"Chief Historian Zuo, you’ve suffered. Please drink this bowl of deer blood wine," Zhu Yu said with a slight smile, in an even tone to Wen Qiming.
However, at this mont, her face was covered with fake skin, so her expression seed sowhat inconsistent with what she actually showed, appearing more like a forced smile.
From her face and tone, Wen Qiming couldn’t discern the aning behind this, but he nervously took the bowl of deer blood wine, gulping it down quickly until it was completely empty.
This reaction was naturally within Zhu Yu and Lu Qing’s expectations. Lu Qing spoke to Wen Qiming, "Chief Historian Zuo, you’ve been wronged these past couple of days.
The Prince surely knows you didn’t kill Jia Jun. It was rely a setup by malicious people, entrapping you in a sche laid by others."
Hearing this, Wen Qiming’s heart relaxed, and with a thud, he knelt on the ground, kowtowing twice. He then lifted his face to the two in front of him, showing a grateful smile.
He had been considerably worn down these past days, and after gulping down a large bowl of deer blood wine, his smile was a bitter one, his blood-red mouth adding a pitiful yet eerie look.
"Chief Historian Zuo, surely you have so frustration in your heart as well? Knowing that you’re innocent, why were you still brought to this prison to suffer?" Lu Qing asked in a deep voice.
As soon as Wen Qiming heard this, he quickly shook his head, "No, no, please don’t misunderstand, my lords! The Prince surely has his reasons for doing this, it must be because I’ve committed other wrongs..."
"Chief Historian Zuo really guessed right," Lu Qing snorted coldly, "Had it not been for your selfishness—thinking about how Jia Jun had close relations with the Right Chief Historian in the past, and just when the Prince wanted to investigate the iron ore issue himself—he contacted you privately, perhaps intending to reveal so wrongdoing by the Right Chief Historian to you, you wouldn’t have fallen into his trap.
At such a ti, as Chief Historian Zuo, instead of alleviating the Prince’s burden, you harbored your own sches with the intent of eliminating dissidents, which is truly vexing.
Therefore, the fright and suffering you’ve endured these past couple of days are self-inflicted and well-deserved.
"Yes, yes, yes, my lord is right!" Wen Qiming, having been called out on his previous intentions, wasn’t sure if it was due to guilt or the effects of the large bowl of deer blood wine he had just finished. Sweat quickly ford on his forehead. "I shouldn’t have harbored selfish thoughts, I was truly muddle-headed at the ti...
It’s just because the Right Chief Historian, in everyday life—"
"Enough," Lu Qing raised his hand, making a stopping gesture, "You can discuss these matters with the Prince later yourself.
Chief Historian Zuo has been diligent and conscientious all along, and the Prince has noticed this. It is precisely because of this that he felt particularly disappointed when you developed such thoughts.
However, the Prince still acknowledges your character and abilities, thus his correction is not truly to punish you, but to ensure you learn from this lesson and refrain from doing such foolish things in the future.
Otherwise, the Prince might be reluctant to rely on you as much again in the future."
Upon hearing this, a light seed to illuminate Wen Qiming’s previously despairing heart, dispelling the gloom in his mind and showing him hope once again. He nodded eagerly, and excitent was evident in his expression.
Zhu Yu, listening beside them, couldn’t help but be impressed. Although this man hadn’t been raised by Emperor Jin but spent most of his ti learning at Shanqing Temple with the Qi Yun Mountain People, one might expect him to be sowhat naive.
Yet, his earlier words were exceptionally clever, handling Wen Qiming’s mind with utmost clarity, mixing severity with favor. They not only made him accept the unjust punishnt he had suffered but also gave him a sweet incentive to keep working hard for Zhu Cheng.
She highly suspected that if her father were here in person today, even he might not have been able to speak as aptly as Lu Qing had.
Could this really be what people refer to as natural talent?
Amidst Wen Qiming’s flurried and grateful words, the two left that torture chamber, instructing the prison guards to lead the way to the chamber holding the Jia Brothers.
The Jia Brothers appeared much more miserable than Wen Qiming. The visible wounds on their faces made them look significantly more ragged.
Seeing Zhu Yu and Lu Qing return, they were just about to proclaim their innocence when they spotted two prison guards behind them, each holding a bowl of blood-red deer blood wine and approaching them. Their expressions changed imdiately, and their gazes shifted from tension to near-fear.
"My lords, we, the brothers, are truly wronged! My elder brother was killed unjustly; you can’t treat his brother like this as well, it’s unfair!"
"My lord, we’re innocent. Our elderly parents still need care back ho; how is this supposed to work..."
The brothers rushed to speak, their voices tinged with sobs, claiming innocence and hardship, yet their eyes were glued unwaveringly to the deer blood wine in the prison guards’ hands.
To them, the guards might as well have been holding a death sentence instead of deer blood wine.
Zhu Yu repeated the sa rhetoric they had used with Wen Qiming, saying the suffering the Jia Brothers endured was such that they specially brought deer blood wine from their ho to replenish them.
Upon hearing this, the two looked again at the approaching guards, and fear overtook their desire to plead further, contorting their faces. They shouted for help and tried desperately to turn away, avoiding the proffered bowls.
But being scholarly n, unlike the typically strong and sturdy n of Shuo Country, and having their hands and feet bound, they of course could not resist. The guards seized their jaws, pouring the deer blood wine down their throats.
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