“Ah!” The dungeon echoed with sighs, so incessant that the jailers stuffed cotton in their ears to block out the noise. The head jailer, irritated, pulled the cotton from her ears and snapped, “Go shut her up! She’s been sighing nonstop since she got here, it’s driving me mad!”
The nearby jailer, still with cotton in her ears, didn’t catch what was said and shouted, “Head jailer, speak up! I can’t hear you!”
The head jailer stood up, yanked the cotton from the other’s ears, and flung it onto the table in frustration. “I said, go make her shut up immediately! If she sighs again, cut out her tongue!”
“But Head Jailer, she’s still an official from the Ministry of Justice, a fourth-rank one at that,” the jailer hesitated, worried.
“What’s there to fear? Everyone who ends up here is a condemned prisoner. She’s scheduled for execution tomorrow, why are you scared?”
Bolstered by this, the jailer mustered his courage, grabbed his intimidation rod, and stormed into the inner cell with a menacing air.
Wen Ningwan sat cross-legged on a pile of straw, one hand propping up her head as she tilted it to gaze at the moonlight through the small window high above.
“Ah!”
“What’s with all the sighing?!” The jailer banged the cell bars loudly with his rod.
Startled, Wen Ningwan glanced back at him before resuming her pose, staring at the window. “I’m about to die. Should I be singing in celebration instead of sighing?”
“Enough already! You’ve been sighing since you got here, it’s unbearable. If you keep disturbing our head jailer, watch your tongue!”
Wen Ningwan immediately fell silent, waiting until the jailer left before turning back to the window and murmuring, “Tears behind bars.”
Squeak, squeak, squeak.
Something rustled beneath the straw. Wen Ningwan shrieked and leaped to her feet, screaming in terror, “Aaaaaah!”
The head jailer and the other jailers rushed in, alarmed, only to find her pressed against the wall, trembling and screaming uncontrollably on the wooden plank bed.
“What’s all the yelling about?!”
“A rat!” Wen Ningwan stammered, pointing a shaking finger at the straw. “It moved!”
The head jailer rolled her eyes, ready to ignore her, but the jailer tugged at her sleeve. “Head Jailer, if we don’t catch it, she’ll probably scream all night. How are we supposed to sleep then?”
The head jailer turned back. Wen Ningwan stared at her pitifully, arms clutched to her chest, her large, watery eyes fixed on her, a sight that could soften even the hardest heart.
The nearby jailer blinked, staring at Wen Ningwan before swallowing hard. “Let’s just help her. She’s such a beauty, and she’s already doomed to die tomorrow. At least let her have a peaceful night.”
“Fine.” The head jailer unlocked the door, and the two barged in, heading straight for the straw pile.
Wen Ningwan stood on tiptoe on the straw mat, pointing frantically. “There, there! It’s moving again, hurry, hurry!”
“…”
Inside the palace, the Emperor sat distractedly by his desk in a purple python robe, glancing repeatedly toward the entrance as if awaiting someone.
The elderly maid attending him also peered outside. The Emperor’s expression grew uneasy. “Nanny Su, what time is it?”
Nanny Su craned her neck. “It’s Xu hour already.”
“So late? Why hasn’t the State Preceptor arrived yet?”
Nanny Su smiled kindly at the Emperor. “Perhaps Your Majesty is mistaken. The State Preceptor and the Assistant Minister are merely colleagues.”
The Emperor glanced sidelong at the emerald-green bracelet on the table and said coolly, “Impossible. Do I not know Feng Lielan? If she had no interest, Assistant Minister Wen wouldn’t have even left the Court of Beauties alive, let alone received such a personal gift.”
Auntie Su looked puzzled at the bracelet on the desk. “Private matter?”
“It’s a pair, crafted by the Huainan master carver Xu Rumei. Master Xu only made this one set. The State Preceptor’s expertise in such artifacts is nothing short of perfection she couldn’t possibly be unaware. Knowing how precious it is and still giving it to her? If she claims she had no ulterior motives, I don’t believe it.”
The Emperor shook her head, certain the State Preceptor would come.
“Your Majesty, the State Preceptor requests an audience,” announced the attendant at the door.
The Emperor immediately sat up straight with a grin. “Summon her at once!”
She then shot a triumphant glance at Auntie Su beside her. “See? I was right.”
The State Preceptor entered, her eyes instantly landing on the bracelet on the desk. The Emperor lowered her head, pretending to be engrossed in reviewing memorials.
“Take a seat,” the Emperor said casually, glancing up at the figure about to bow.
The State Preceptor paused, then complied, watching the Emperor flip through the memorials. “Is Your Majesty very busy today?”
“Wasn’t it you who taught me? To learn to handle state affairs quickly, so I’ve been working hard.” The Emperor smiled with an innocent expression, gazing at the rigidly composed State Preceptor.
“Indeed, very hard. So hard that you casually threw a fourth-rank official into prison and ordered her execution tomorrow. Your Majesty’s methods grow ever more masterful, I truly feel inadequate by comparison.”
Auntie Su tensed immediately, about to speak, but the Emperor stopped her. The Emperor huffed and set down the memorial.
“She disrespected the sovereign! She refused to kneel in my presence and spouted nonsense!”
“Assistant Minister Wen is indeed often too self-absorbed, leading to impropriety, but she would never intentionally disrespect the sovereign.”
“You say she didn’t mean it, so she didn’t?” The Emperor puffed her cheeks in anger.
“Of course. She’s as timid as a mouse she trembles and treads carefully even around me. How could she dare disrespect the sovereign?”
“…” The Emperor was speechless. The person she saw was someone who wouldn’t beg for mercy even on the brink of execution, yet in the State Preceptor’s eyes, she was “timid as a mouse.”
“And what about refusing to kneel and spouting nonsense before the sovereign?”
“Your Majesty hadn’t told her you were the Emperor,” the State Preceptor replied.
The Emperor froze. “Hmph! Did Su Yu’er tell you that?”
When the State Preceptor didn’t deny it, the Emperor shot an annoyed look at Auntie Su. “Why does your niece always tattle to the State Preceptor?”
Auntie Su sighed helplessly, nodding awkwardly. “Yu’er listens to the State Preceptor the most.”
“Tch!”
“So, may I take her away now? The dungeons are dark, damp, cold, and filthy. If anything happens to the Assistant Minister, the people will think Your Majesty is too harsh.”
“Oh, fine.” The Emperor relented. She hadn’t actually planned to harm her anyway.
Uneasy, the Emperor watched as the State Preceptor rose. “Even if you hadn’t pleaded for her, I would’ve found an excuse tomorrow to release her and have her continue investigating the case of the Yan Kingdom’s prince.”
“I understand.” The State Preceptor adjusted her sleeves, then looked at the Emperor. “But as the ruler of a nation, Your Majesty should keep your word. Such pranks should not be repeated, they undermine your dignity.”
“Mhm.” The Emperor studied the solemn figure, unable to tell if she was anxious or concerned.
“Oh!” The Emperor hastily picked up the bracelet nearby.
“The Assistant Minister said you asked her to deliver this to me, and that you hoped I wouldn’t be angry or something. I think she took your words in court, the part about ‘marrying no one but me’ to heart.”
The Imperial Preceptor’s eyes narrowed as she bent down to take the bracelet His Majesty was about to put on. “This wasn’t meant for Your Majesty.”
His Majesty froze in place, staring at the Imperial Preceptor in disbelief before breaking into a triumphant smile, she had won!
The Imperial Preceptor put the bracelet away, momentarily taken aback by His Majesty’s expression before explaining, “Meng Yin is returning to the capital tomorrow. I was thinking of Your Majesty’s well-being. If she were to see Your Majesty and me wearing matching bracelets, Your Majesty’s precious health might suffer.”
“A-Yin is coming back?” His Majesty exclaimed, grinning foolishly with excitement.
The Imperial Preceptor frowned. “Your Majesty must learn to control your expressions. Don’t let others read your emotions so easily.”
“Oh,” His Majesty replied, still beaming at her.
As the Imperial Preceptor stepped out of the palace hall, she glanced up at the bright, cold moon and quickened her pace slightly. If Wen Ningwan hadn’t brought the suppressant pills, things could get messy.
“Over there! Ahhh, don’t let it get away! Behind you, behind you!”
The moment the Imperial Preceptor entered the prison, she heard the familiar, boisterous voice.
Standing at the cell door, she observed the figure on the bed, standing on tiptoe and pointing excitedly, while two flustered jailers scrambled about.
One of the jailers, clutching a rat by its tail, panted, “Got it, got it!” When he looked up and saw Minister Xiong of the Ministry of Justice, he nearly dropped the rat in fright and immediately knelt to apologize.
Wen Ningwan, spotting the Imperial Preceptor at the door, was dressed in luxurious black brocade, her hair tied high, her expression calm as she gazed at her.
Wen Ningwan’s face instantly crumpled with grievance. Sniffling, she cried, “Imperial Preceptor~ I knew you’d come to rescue me!”
Tears welling in her eyes, she leaped off the bed and dashed toward the Imperial Preceptor, lifting her skirts. In her haste, she tripped over the jailers’ discarded batons left on the floor during the rat chase and stumbled drunkenly before crashing into the Imperial Preceptor.
She grabbed the Imperial Preceptor’s collar and fell to her knees with a thud, pulling the garment down to reveal a swath of pale shoulder.
Everyone gaped at the scene. Wen Ningwan, looking up to see the Imperial Preceptor’s icy glare, hastily tugged the collar back up and, terrified, wrapped her arms around the Imperial Preceptor’s legs, wailing loudly.
“Waaah X﹏X You’re finally here! I was so scared, waaah X﹏X”
Minister Xiong and the two jailers quickly averted their eyes, not daring to look further.
The Imperial Preceptor snapped coldly, “Get up! Have you no shame?!”
“Waaah X﹏X” Wen Ningwan clung tighter, shaking her head. “My legs hurt, I can’t get up, waaah X﹏X”
This time, her tears were genuine, her knees felt shattered.
“…” The Imperial Preceptor gritted her teeth, bent down, and grabbed Wen Ningwan by the scruff of her neck, lifting her like a little rabbit.
Tear-streaked and sniffling, Wen Ningwan gazed up pitifully at the Imperial Preceptor, wiping her eyes. “I thought I’d never see you again, waaah.”