Chapter 34: Meeting an Old Friend-Irmã Louca Rouba o Casamento? Após Trocar de Lugar com Ela e Casar com o Príncipe Herdeiro de Vida Curta, Eu Subi ao Trono como Imperatriz(Estrela e Pintura de Primavera)

Dong Yufeng’s heart sank to the bottom.

What could he do? Would His Highness Prince Xuan come to save them?

As everyone was locked in their separate cells, Feng Yueyang, the last of the group, expected the same fate. However, to his surprise, the jailer led him away and placed him alone in a cell reeking of malice.

The walls were covered with blood-stained torture implements—whips dripping with gore, iron hooks soaked through with dried blood, and the dreaded tiger bench. The floor was caked in layers of blackened filth, and the overpowering stench of blood filling the air was nauseating.

Feng Yueyang, having never witnessed such a scene, nearly vomited in terror. The jailer did not trouble him further; he simply forced him into a chair in the center of the room, bound his hands, and left.

Moments later, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed, each step feeling as if it were falling upon Feng Yueyang’s very heart. He looked out in nervous anticipation.

A figure appeared in his line of sight—a man of refined air and noble bearing, dressed in official robes that stood in stark contrast to the grim surroundings of the dungeon. As the man drew closer, illuminated by the dim light of a wall lamp, Feng Yueyang finally recognized his face. It was someone he knew well.

"Lord Gu!" Feng Yueyang blurted out instinctively.

The young man, with his sharp, sword-like brows and piercing eyes, stepped toward him. Looking down at Feng Yueyang with an expressionless face, he spoke in a low, resonant voice.

"Master Feng, it has been a long time. I expected to see you in the imperial examination hall, yet I never imagined I would find you in a place like this. You have truly surprised me."

Judging by his tone, they were clearly old acquaintances. Feng Yueyang lowered his head, his expression a mix of embarrassment and deep remorse. He opened his mouth to speak, but the thought of his missing mother, wife, and daughter stifled his words. After a gulp, he said in a hoarse voice, "Lord Gu, there has been a misunderstanding. Please, I beg you to explain the situation to the Crown Prince on my behalf."

As he spoke, Feng Yueyang looked up at Gu Zirui, feigning grievance.

Gu Zirui let out a scoff, his face filled with disappointment. "I know that human hearts are unpredictable, but I never imagined that the noble Master Feng, who shared wine and poetry with me just half a year ago, would fall so low in such a short time—colluding with people you yourself looked down upon, wallowing in the mud with snakes and rats. Do you have nothing to explain to me?"

Feng Yueyang’s eyes flickered; he dared not meet Gu Zirui’s gaze and instead looked toward the dark corner of the cell.

"I do not know what you mean, Lord Gu. Drinking with you back then was merely a way to ensure you would remember me, so that if I were fortunate enough to come to the capital for the examinations, perhaps..."

"Feng Yueyang!" Gu Zirui interrupted his shameless words with a sharp reprimand.

Feng Yueyang shivered, bowing his head even lower. Gu Zirui sighed deeply, stepped back, and sat in an opposite chair. He reached into his sleeve and got straight to the point.

"Stop the act. I already know the purpose of your trip to the capital. Once you were captured, I took charge of the case and sent men to search your lodgings."

"Your tongue may lie, but these things—written in black and white—cannot."

With a thud, Gu Zirui pulled several account books and letters from his sleeve and threw them onto the floor, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Upon seeing these familiar items, Feng Yueyang’s face froze, then turned deathly pale. He looked at Gu Zirui in disbelief.

Gu Zirui sneered. "Surprised? You learned this trick of hiding things from me. Under the wooden bed at the inn, reinforced with an extra plank—that is exactly how I found the tax-evasion ledgers in Qingzhou. Confess! Tell me your plan!"

Pain flooded Feng Yueyang’s eyes, and they instantly turned red. "Lord Gu, I beg you, do not force me. I cannot speak. If I do, my family..."

"The family you speak of—are these them?"

Gu Zirui interrupted again and clapped his hands. Footsteps sounded outside, and the jailer brought in an older woman and a young girl.

When Feng Yueyang saw them, he froze in place. "Mother! Xue’er!"

It was indeed his mother and daughter. Seeing her son bound to the chair, the elderly woman was both furious and terrified. She hurriedly pulled her granddaughter, Feng Xue’er, toward him, hitting Feng Yueyang’s shoulders and wailing, "You foolish boy! You were meant to take the imperial exams and enter the civil service! How could you do such a thing? You’ve ruined your future and slandered Lord Gu! He is a good official! You... how could you... you have disappointed me so!"

Feng Yueyang hurriedly explained, "Mother, I didn’t want to, but I had no choice. That scoundrel Dong Yufeng captured you all and threatened me. He said that if I followed their orders, they would treat you well even if I died, and that you would live in luxury for the rest of your lives..."

"Father!" Feng Xue’er’s soft voice, thick with tears, rang out. The little girl huddled against him, pitifully saying, "Father, Uncle Dong and the others lied. They didn’t give us any food on the way to the capital."

"Grandmother spoke up once, and they beat her. Mother is sick, and they wouldn’t let her see a doctor. Mother isn't doing well at all, boo-hoo..."

Hearing this, Feng Yueyang seemed to notice their condition for the first time—their faces were haggard and thin, their clothes were tattered and filthy, and there were bruises on his daughter’s exposed hands.

*Dong Yufeng!*

Feng Yueyang’s eyes turned red with rage. He asked with concern, "How is your mother?"

Gu Zirui spoke up, "Take them out."

The jailer stepped forward to support the elderly woman. Holding her granddaughter’s hand and wiping her tears, she said to Feng Yueyang, "Your wife is fine for now. Tell the truth and be done with it! Those bastards like Dong Yufeng deserve to die! You don’t need to worry about us; we are safe now!"

With that, she led her granddaughter away. Feng Xue’er kept looking back at her father, breaking his heart.

"Can you speak now?" Gu Zirui drew Feng Yueyang’s attention back.

Feng Yueyang’s tears flowed freely, but his heart was less burdened now that he knew his family was safe. Still, he asked, "Lord Gu, my wife..."

"Rest assured. She is indeed ill, but I have already sent a physician to see her. She will recover with proper care." Gu Zirui said calmly, "Your worries were only for them, were they not? Now that I have resolved your concerns, shouldn't you return the favor?"

Feng Yueyang felt a surge of emotion. He sniffled and decided to tell everything. "It was like this, at that time I..."

A quarter of an hour later, the oil lamp in the cell flickered, the wick crackling as half the oil burned away. Feng Yueyang, his throat dry, had told him everything he knew.