Chapter 461: Slanging Match

"I believe you," Zhu Qizhen cut him off, walked down the steps, reached out to help him up, and said with a smile: "Since Grand Secretary Yang says so, I naturally believe it. I am merely curious—if only Wang Zhen's faction colluded inside and out, why is it that the silver mine taxes from Jiangnan can never be collected? No matter how great Wang Zhen's power, it cannot reach Jiangnan, can it?"

Xue Shao, standing to one side, understood in a flash why the Emperor had suddenly thrown Wang Zhen into prison.

He slightly clenched his fist, his gaze sweeping over the faces of all the ministers in the hall; at this moment, not a single person was pleased.

Even Ma Shun and the other members of Wang Zhen's faction, after Yang Pu had been put on the spot, showed no joy, but rather grew more anxious and uneasy.

He looked at Zhu Qizhen standing in the great hall; the surrounding ministers were all bent at the waist, heads lowered, and the sunlight streaming in from outside the hall fell only on him alone, only on him alone.

The fine dust in the light shimmered, but though he stood in the light, he was not one with the dust.

Xue Shao's heart sank, an inexpressible tangle of emotions.

After the Emperor turned and sat back down on the dragon throne, Xue Shao thought it over, then still stepped forward and requested the Emperor to recall Xue Xuan, Pan Hong, and others who had been responsible for this case to the capital: "Since we are investigating whether they formed factions for private gain and accepted bribes, naturally we must recall them for interrogation."

He added: "From the case files we can see that the case of the Yue woman killing her husband was fully investigated by Pan Hong, with no violation of rules or overstepping of authority—so should his daughter Pan Yun be released from prison?"

Ma Shun immediately came to his senses and retorted: "The case is still under investigation. One moment Xue the Chuanlu says the suspects must be recalled for interrogation, the next moment he says Pan Hong did nothing improper—is 'yes' or 'no' decided entirely by your word alone?"

Zhu Qizhen also waved his hand: "Pan Yun, keep her locked up. I see she's getting along quite well in the imperial prison."

Pan Yun was indeed getting along quite well. Mainly after Wang Zhen was imprisoned, not only had her treatment improved, she was no longer bored either; even though she was still in fasting, she fasted very happily.

Every day, when the first beam of sunlight shone down through the high window, Pan Yun would open her eyes from the bed, finish her cultivation, sit down beneath that beam of sunlight, and sit cross-legged watching Wang Zhen in the next cell.

Wang Zhen: …

Wang Zhen's cell had changed dramatically—not only had quilts been added, along with a washbasin, a rack, and the like, but also a folding screen.

The screen partitioned off the chamber pot, and Wang Zhen attended to his needs inside it every day.

No matter what he was doing, Pan Yun liked to prop up her chin and watch him closely from the side.

From Wang Zhen's initial arrogance and self-satisfaction to his shame-fueled rage, and then to his current deadpan expression, it had taken only three days.

By now he had grown accustomed to Pan Yun's gaze. After being forced to rise, he threw off the covers, got out of bed, and with a dark face stepped behind the screen to relieve himself.

Pan Yun let out a sigh.

Wang Zhen's fingers clenched tight. He crouched behind the screen for a long while before rebuilding his expression, rose with a deadpan face, fastened his waist sash, and stepped out from behind the screen.

Pan Yun immediately broke into a smile and waved at him. "Wang Zhangyin, good morning! A brand-new day has begun again."

Wang Zhen, expressionless, picked up a cloth to wipe his hands and sat down at the table. The jailer outside the cell immediately came in carrying a food box and took out the various breakfast items purchased that morning.

Wang Zhen picked up his chopsticks and glanced at Pan Yun sitting opposite. It seemed that the moment she saw him look over, she immediately broke into a smile.

Wang Zhen lowered his eyes. No wonder His Majesty became friends with her after only one meeting—such a person, if she were not Pan Hong's daughter, born standing on the opposite side of him, he too would have been unable to resist becoming her friend. Wang Zhen picked up a steamed bun, then could not help glancing up at Pan Yun again, frowning slightly: "Since I entered prison, I have only ever seen you drink water, never seen you eat anything. The jailers say that since entering prison, you haven't eaten a thing. After so many days, you haven't starved to death?"

Pan Yun spread her hands and said: "Do I look like someone about to starve to death?"

Wang Zhen ate his bun thoughtfully.

Pan Yun propped her chin and watched him eat the bun, swallowing lightly and involuntarily, her tone light: "Wang Zhen, shall we make a guess—what kind of official will be the first to come looking for you today?"

"You've been guessing for so many days now, aren't you tired of it yet?"

"Not tired of it at all," Pan Yun said. "I think it's very interesting. The Wang Zhangyin who held power over the whole court—even after entering the imperial prison, he still loyally serves His Majesty, managing a myriad of state affairs for the country. Even just hearing it said aloud, I am full of admiration. I wonder how moved His Majesty would be in his heart if he knew."

The steamed bun on Wang Zhen's chopsticks dropped onto the table with a slap, and his face changed slightly.

Pan Yun burst out laughing at the sight.

She laughed until tears streamed down her face, and she had to wipe them away with her fingers. "So this realm is actually in the hands of someone like you—it might as well be in mine."

Wang Zhen glared at her viciously, dropped his chopsticks, strode forward, and through the bars fixed his eyes on hers. "Speak! What exactly is the yellow talisman you gave His Majesty used for?"

Pan Yun, hearing this, raised an eyebrow: "Yellow talisman~ Which one are you asking about?"

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Wang Zhen's face went pitch black: "How many did you give him? What were they all used for?"

Pan Yun leaned close to the bars and said softly: "I'm not telling you~"

Wang Zhen clenched his fists: "Pan Yun, you used sorcery to bewitch His Majesty—a crime punishable by death! Your father, your brothers, your entire clan will all be dragged down by you. Think this through carefully."

"We're both in the same boat right now, Wang Zhen—even your own fate is not yet decided, and you think you can decide mine?"

Pan Yun patted her bottom as she rose, stood up face-to-face with him, and the corner of her mouth lifted slightly. "Besides, when it comes to beguiling hearts and minds, who can compare to you?"

"You, after all, have been by his side bewitching him since His Majesty was still a small child," Pan Yun leaned close to the bars, stared into his eyes, and said word by word: "From the moment you entered the palace, your target was the young Emperor. Tell me—are you not far more deeply sinful than I am?"

Wang Zhen, enraged, reached out to grab her. Pan Yun leaned her body back to dodge his hand, tilted her head, and grinned at him smugly: "Wang Zhangyin, you'll have to come over to my side to catch anyone."

Wang Zhen gripped the bars tightly, his face contorted: "Those scholars who studied bitterly by their cold windows for decades, those ministers who toiled like dogs and flies—they're all after power, after climbing higher. So am I! The same purpose, all of us doing the work of serving the imperial house—who is more noble than whom!"

Wang Zhen said furiously: "I am greedy, but among the whole court, civil and military, how many are not greedy?

When it comes to loyalty, who among you can compare to me! I never go against the Emperor's wishes, never take his realm—but you all cannot say the same. You so-called loyal ministers and good generals are all glib talkers. In reality, you've forced commoners to sell their fields, seized good farmland for military use, pocketed the pay of ghost soldiers, embezzled taxes—what evil have you not done?"

Wang Zhen pressed nearly his entire face through the bars, glaring at Pan Yun: "In the end, when the common folk rebel, you pour all the dirty water on my head, saying I bewitched the sovereign. It was not I who bewitched the sovereign—it was you who deceived him! You deceived him!!!"

Pan Yun: "You're all rotten people—are you trying to compete with them over who's more rotten? Throughout history there have been no shortage of capable eunuchs with good reputations. You clearly had the ability to be a good eunuch who left his name for a thousand ages, yet you chose this path instead. Who's to blame?"

(End of chapter)