Chapter 464: Loosen the Lips

"Congratulations, you're right!" Pan Xiaohei said: "Your second master said that so many officials in court today are petitioning to overturn Xue Xuan's case—not because Xue Xuan was innocent, but because rehabilitating him strikes Wang Zhen and better serves their current interests."

"The world bustles for profit alone," Pan Xiaohei asked inside her dantian: "Pan Yun, are you acting purely for profit? Will you ever act purely for profit?"

Pan Yun said nothing, sitting quietly.

Wang Zhen felt Pan Yun was unusually quiet today, and the Imperial Prison was unusually quiet too.

Aside from a trusted aide and the Prince of Qian arriving in the morning, no visitors came to the Imperial Prison today—this gave Wang Zhen a sense of foreboding.

Xue Shao was reviewing opened juan sect records with officials from the Three Departments, having already identified many inconsistencies.

Yue's children had been located, and family members of He's household had been sent for—they would arrive tomorrow or the day after.

The Prince of Qian went again to kneel before the Emperor, weeping for hours while clutching Prince Mu and Emperor Taizu.

Zhu Qizhen, already soft-hearted, grew even softer under his tears; after a moment's thought, he said: "Pan Yun is still under indictment and, by law, cannot leave prison—but since the Mu family has need, I will order the Embroidered Uniform Guard to escort her to Yunnan."

The Emperor said: "If she truly proves useful, I will pardon her crime of harboring fugitives."

The Prince of Qian rejoiced and immediately kowtowed: "Your servant thanks Your Majesty for this great grace."

The Emperor waved his hand: "Enough. The day is late. I will issue the decree tomorrow."

The Prince of Qian bowed and withdrew respectfully.

Once he had walked far away, a jade ring on his finger slid into the hand of a nearby Eunuch, who whispered: "Eunuch Guo, has Old Master Yang sent word?"

Guo Jing took the jade ring, glanced left and right, confirmed no one was near, then lowered his voice: "Not yet. The officials in the south have refused to yield. The Emperor is in a foul mood."

The Prince of Qian understood, smiled as he bid Guo Jing farewell, and his face turned cold the moment he left the palace.

His aide hurriedly asked: "My lord, did the Emperor refuse?"

The Prince of Qian frowned and shook his head: "The Emperor agreed—but he intends to use us to protect Pan Yun."

The aide looked puzzled: "Huh?"

"Things aren't going smoothly," the Prince of Qian said. "The Emperor is ambitious: he wants to punish Wang Zhen, yet still keep Wang Zhen as his blade. He wants to use Xue Shao's petition as a warning to Wang Zhen, and to reorganize the southern silver mines and private salt trade to fill the imperial treasury."

"But they've held firm under pressure and refused to take the Emperor's bait," the Prince of Qian sighed. "Wang Zhen is entirely under the Emperor's control—he's a eunuch; the Emperor lets him live, he lives; the Emperor orders him dead, he dies. To the Emperor, he's no threat. But the southern bureaucrats and gentry…"

The Prince of Qian frowned, growing displeased; he clenched his fist and slammed it hard against the carriage floor: "The Emperor has already given them face—what more do they want? They want to reorganize the silver mines, the Emperor wants to reorganize Wang Zhen—and now they're trying to get something for nothing, using Xue Xuan's case as a knife, with Xue Shao and Pan Yun as blades to achieve their ends."

The Prince of Qian pressed his lips together: "The Emperor is proud—he won't yield. The capital will soon be drenched in blood."

The aide said: "Xue Shao's palace examination—the Emperor calls it a petition, it's a petition; if he calls it a complaint, it's a complaint. Xue Shao will either die or be exiled. Pan Yun…"

"Pan Yun won't fare better," the Prince of Qian cut in. "If the Emperor and the southern faction refuse to yield, both will be shattered—and Xue Shao and Pan Yun, as the blades, will be the first to break."

"The Emperor sending Pan Yun to Yunnan is meant to save her life," the Prince of Qian sighed. "The Emperor is sentimental. If he has this plan, you will accompany the Embroidered Uniform Guard to escort Pan Yun south tomorrow. If trouble arises in the capital, have your uncle give Pan Yun a new identity. Deaths in the southwest are hard to trace—it's our family's way of repaying her debt."

The aide bowed in agreement.

Night deepened. Pan Yun sat with her cheek propped on her hand, lost in thought, her fingers tapping slowly against her skin, leaving nail marks. Wang Zhen watched her for a long while, then grew suspicious: "Pan Yun, do you have a way to receive messages from outside the prison?"

Pan Yun lifted her eyelids and glanced at him.

Wang Zhen's eyes widened slightly: "Yes—you don't need to eat to survive, you can conjure cushions out of thin air, you've endured brutal torture, your body is bloody, yet you move as if untouched—you must have a way to get outside information!"

He didn't ask what news she'd received that made her so silent today—he shouted directly outside: "Someone! Someone!"

The jailer rushed in: "What's all the shouting—oh! Wang Zhangyin, what's your command?"

Wang Zhen didn't care whether the man truly didn't recognize his voice or was pretending—he said bluntly: "Send men to search around the Imperial Prison. There must be Pan Yun's accomplices nearby!"

"This…" The jailer stood still.

Wang Zhen glared at him: "What? Can't I command you?"

"No no no," the jailer hurriedly waved his hands. "Never! But Wang Zhangyin—the Imperial Prison is right beside the imperial palace—who dares approach?"

The Imperial Prison is the only prison located beside the imperial palace. Anyone who dares come near isn't ordinary.

Could he arrest someone who wasn't ordinary?

Wang Zhen snapped: "Search—"

!. read

The jailer immediately ran off.

Pan Yun clicked her tongue and said to Pan Xiaohei inside her mind: "Hurry up and run!"

Pan Xiaohei grumbled and bolted away.

Just one li beyond the Imperial Prison, it felt danger rising; it let out a loud "meow," twisted its body to its absolute limit, poured all its cultivated demonic energy into motion, and shot forward like a blur, skimming up a wall—

A claw as hard as steel slashed down beside the cat's belly, slammed into the wall with a bang, and shattered a large hole—

Simultaneously, Pan Yun, still feigning compliance with Wang Zhen in the cell, snapped upright, her expression hardening.

She immediately sat cross-legged, sinking her spirit into the spiritual realm.

Her connection with Pan Xiaohei instantly strengthened; she could now project her spiritual awareness through Pan Xiaohei's body, perceiving a much larger space.

This was the ability she gained after ascending to First Marquis—she no longer needed to permanently anchor her spirit within it. Whenever she wished, she could instantly see through Pan Xiaohei's eyes and perceive everything around it.

Naturally, Pan Xiaohei's bond with her grew tighter, able to sense her more clearly and return to her side faster even when separated from its body.

As soon as her spirit entered, she saw Pan Xiaohei racing up the roof. She projected her spiritual awareness and immediately commanded: "Drop from the roof—enter the eaves!"

Pan Xiaohei didn't hesitate—it slid instantly down from the roof into the eaves. The next moment, CRACK—the roof was torn open, tiles flew everywhere, and human screams rang out.

Pan Xiaohei dashed desperately beneath the eaves, shouting: "What is it, what is it—"

Pan Yun's voice remained calm, unhurried: "It's a roc!"

(End of Chapter)