Chapter 458: My lord is naturally well aware that you are not the murderer, and that you have been wronged!

Deep within the prison of the Wannian County Yamen.

A damp, moldy stench mixed with the scent of rust rushed toward them.

Water droplets condensed on the walls and slid slowly down the mottled stone seams; the "drip-drop" sound was exceptionally piercing in the deathly silent corridor.

Shi Woyu was locked in the innermost cell, coarse iron chains shackled to his ankles, dragging across the ground and grinding out fine, grating sounds.

"Lord Chen Yan, I have been wronged!"

"I did not kill my father!"

He howled at the top of his lungs, his voice echoing in the empty cell, his roar filled with despair and laced with tears. "You cannot wrong an innocent man!"

With every shout, he pounded the cell door with all his might.

Shi Woyu was in a state of panic.

After all, the threat of severe torture still rang in his ears...

And having been pampered since childhood, he had never even been struck before...

Before his sobbing could cease, a voice suddenly came from the corridor: "Stop your howling in there!"

Footsteps approached from afar; Gao Jiong carried a lantern to the outside of the cell, casting his silhouette onto the mottled wall with orange light.

He glanced at Shi Woyu, who was sprawled in a pile of straw, his face covered in snot and tears, and picked at his ear nonchalantly, his tone full of amusement: "My lord is naturally well aware that you are not the murderer, and that you have been wronged!"

Shi Woyu stared at the lantern Gao Jiong was swinging back and forth, his gaze drifting with the light and shadow, instantly becoming blurred; his mind went blank, and he was completely bewildered.

He opened his mouth, his throat still hoarse from crying, and asked subconsciously: "What does that mean?"

Gao Jiong gave a light shrug of his shoulders, and the lantern in his hand swayed along with him, casting flickering, fragmented spots of orange light onto the prison wall: "Exactly what it sounds like!"

He spoke lightly, yet his eyes held a hint of mischief.

The person who wronged you knows better than you do just how wronged you are, don't they?

Shi Woyu's hand hanging at his side clenched involuntarily, his knuckles turning white, his face full of confusion: "Then why drag me back to the death prison?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than certain thoughts flashed through his mind; his face instantly turned deathly pale, his lips trembling as he stared at Gao Jiong in disbelief: "You didn't take a bribe to force a confession and use me as a scapegoat, did you?!"

Gao Jiong tilted his head and exchanged a glance with Liu Mu Zhi, who had come with him; both had a hint of playfulness in their eyes, but neither spoke immediately.

He raised his hand and swung the lantern, the orange light falling on Shi Woyu's pale face, illuminating the terror in his eyes with perfect clarity.

Liu Mu Zhi, meanwhile, stood with his hands behind his back, his fingertips tapping lightly against his palm.

Witnessing this scene, Shi Woyu's hands, gripping the iron bars, trembled slightly, his gaze shifting from terror to a deathly stillness, as if he understood everything...

He suddenly let out a low laugh, the sound filled with desperate madness, and then he abruptly raised his voice, as if giving up on everything, and cursed toward the depths of the corridor: "Chen Yan, you hypocritical fame-seeker!"

"And to think the people of Chang'an revere you as the 'Blue Sky' of the age!"

When he reached the height of his agitation, he gripped the iron bars tightly, his knuckles turning blue from the effort, his fingernails almost embedding themselves into the rust: "To think you could commit such a shameless act!"

Seeing this, Gao Jiong rolled his eyes dramatically, his expression like he was looking at some utter fool. He stepped forward two paces and let out a cold snort: "You idiot, my lord is trying to save you!"

He paused, deliberately slowing his speech, adding a touch of mockery, and supplemented word by word: "With your status, are you even worthy of my lord framing you?"

"I really don't know how your brain grew!"

Does a mere nobody need a dignified Pillar of State to frame them?

You take yourself too seriously, don't you?

Are you even worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as Zhao Qian and Dugu Zhao?

And taking bribes?

He, Gao, had never seen anyone wealthier than his own lord...

Upon hearing this, Shi Woyu opened his mouth, his pupils filled with dullness: "Ah...??!"

His hands, gripping the iron bars, loosened, the blue-white color of his knuckles gradually fading, leaving only rust stains all over his hands. He asked in surprise: "What do you mean by that?!"

Gao Jiong shook his head helplessly, a hint of undisguised mockery curling the corners of his mouth: "No wonder people play with you as easily as playing with a dog!"

This remark was like a needle, pricking Shi Woyu lightly and causing that restless heart of his to sink instantly.

He clenched his rust-stained hand, took a deep breath, and as the panic and agitation gradually faded, he cupped his hands toward Gao Jiong, his tone lowering significantly: "I beg the County Magistrate to enlighten me!"

Gao Jiong put away the mockery on his face, his expression instantly turning serious. He leaned forward, lowered his voice, and spoke with a hint of gravity: "The murderer released news regarding your father, Master Shi's enemies..."

"Guiding us to investigate in that direction!"

He paused, his gaze fixed sharply on Shi Woyu: "And guess what?"

"The clues led directly to you..."

His words were filled with profound meaning.

"???"

Shi Woyu was startled, his eyes widening into perfect circles, filled with incredulous astonishment.

How did this get linked to him again?

Who was going to such lengths to harm him?

Gao Jiong swung the lantern in his hand lightly, the orange light and shadow flickering on Shi Woyu's face. He spoke slowly, his voice carrying a playful amusement: "Furthermore, in your room, we also found the medicinal powder that caused Master Shi to lose his sanity and commit self-harm and suicide!"

"What?!"

Shi Woyu looked as if he had been struck by a thunderbolt. He took a sudden half-step back, causing the straw pile behind him to rustle. His face was filled with shock and panic. He hurriedly waved his hands in defense: "It wasn't me!"

"I never harmed my father!"

The more he spoke, the more anxious he became, his voice trembling. Seeing that Gao Jiong's expression did not soften, he suddenly fell to his knees on the straw-covered floor with a "thud," not even feeling his knees hitting the stone surface hard. He stretched his hands forward and shouted loudly toward Gao Jiong: "Commandant, please see the truth!"

Medicinal powder?

He, Shi Woyu, had never touched such things...

Someone must be framing him!

Trying to pin the blame on him!

Looking at Shi Woyu's pathetic state, Gao Jiong's brow furrowed even tighter. He curled his lip in disgust, his tone impatient: "We all know it wasn't you..."

Shi Woyu's sobbing stopped abruptly. He looked up, his tear-filled eyes gazing at him with a glimmer of bewildered hope.

Gao Jiong withdrew his gaze and said in a deep voice: "For this period, just stay in the prison properly!"

The night was like ink.

The Shi Estate.

A room deep inside was brightly lit, two blurred figures projected onto the window paper, making the silence in the courtyard feel even deeper.

Suddenly, a young, melodious woman's voice came from inside the room, carrying a hint of imperceptible triumph: "Shi Woyu has been taken into custody..."

"It seems Chen Yan has already believed the clues we released!"

As the words fell, light footsteps came from inside the room.

It seemed as if the person speaking was pacing around the desk.

A moment later, a young man's voice replied, his tone flat but hiding a chill: "Mm."

He paused, his voice suddenly sinking, every word filled with ruthlessness and hatred: "Next, we should quietly send... that woman on her way!"

The lamp flickered, and the man's shadow on the window paper raised his hand and clenched his fist.

The atmosphere in the room instantly chilled, as if even the candlelight shrank slightly in the face of this malice.

The woman's voice rose again, the last trace of concealment fading from her melodious tone, filled with undisguised triumph and joy: "Letting her live this long is enough..."

She stopped pacing, her voice adding a hint of greedy excitement: "Everything in the Shi family will be ours from now on!"

The man's voice followed, filled with extreme contempt, disdaining: "This so-called 'Blue Sky of the Age,' who has also been in charge of the Mingjing Si for so long, is truly a hollow name, nothing more!"

He let out a cold laugh, the mockery in his tone thickening, every word filled with the arrogance of one who controls everything: "From the very beginning, they have been led by the nose by us, played in the palm of our hands!"

The candle in the room flickered violently, and the man's shadow on the window paper leaned forward slightly, as if squinting to enjoy this pleasure.

The woman's voice became even more mocking, as if savoring an extremely delightful matter: "Isn't that so! Stupid enough to help us get rid of Shi Woyu, clearing away yet another obstacle..."

She paused, her tone filled with playfulness: "And they didn't even suspect us at all!"

No sooner had the words fallen than a burst of hearty laughter erupted in the room: "Hahahaha!"

What Mingjing Si Chief, what Duke of Wei—they are merely people who put up a sign to sell their own heads!

The man's shadow picked up a wine pot from beside the table, and "clatter-clatter," poured two cups of wine, the liquid splashing against the cup walls and creating fine droplets.

He handed one cup to the woman beside him and raised the other himself, his voice filled with the excitement of impending success: "Let's drink to our imminent success!"

The woman took the wine cup with a smile, her fingertips gently rubbing the rim, the triumph in her eyes almost overflowing, and she responded crisply: "Cheers!"

The two raised their arms slightly, and just as the wine cups were about to touch—

"Talking behind people's backs isn't a good habit, you know!" A steady voice, carrying a hint of chill, suddenly came from outside the door, followed by the sound of the door being kicked open. "And, this official really doesn't like being discussed like this!"

The laughter in the room froze instantly, and the candlelight flickered violently.

"Who?!"

The man was so startled his hand shook, spilling more than half a cup of wine, which spread across the table and then dripped down the corner of the table onto the ground, soaking the blue bricks.

He turned around abruptly, his voice trembling with shock, yet he still forced himself to shout sternly: "Who dares to trespass in my Shi Estate!"

"Also, you two are drinking this victory wine a bit too early!"

At the wide-open door, several figures holding torches stood against the light.

The leader was dressed in a dark brocade robe with a jade belt tied around his waist.

——

PS: My pig addiction is acting up, I really want to go out for a late-night snack, begging for a free little gift ヾ(? ω? `。)

Big bosses, take a guess at who the real culprit is! ===== CHAPTER 459 =====